The Wolf in the Woods
by Bluenobody112
Summary: Kairi just wanted to help find the wolf that plagued the town, she didn't mean to unleash the darkness that resided inside the woods. [Mainly Roxiri, some SoNami and Vanqua] [AU]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

They said that there was a witch in the woods. Those that claimed to have seen her said that she looked more like an angel than anything, with blonde hair and a plain white dress. They said that she had made a boy into a monster. She had found him lost in the woods when he was young, and no one had ever found him except for the witch. So she turned him into a wolf for trespassing onto her territory.

No one remembered the boy's name. Not even the boy's supposed twin brother Ventus, who worked under one of the two masters; Master Eraqus. It didn't matter now, not when the boy was no longer human. Not when he had become a killer.

Kairi had never seen the wolf herself. She had only heard the rumors as they were whispered from ear to ear, and the rumors became darker and larger than life. She knew better than to trust some of the things that were said.

But it was undeniable that people were missing, and that was why she didn't stray too far into the woods, and avoided it as best she could. She wasn't afraid so much as she was wary. There were people around her that would worry if she suddenly ended up missing like some of the townspeople.

Tonight was the night, as was every night, that the townsfolk promised to go out and hunt the beast, to finally kill it and that would be the end. That they would finally be free of its reign of terror. It made her worried since her two best friends Riku and Sora swore that they would help with this hunt. Riku, because he wanted to prove himself, and Sora, because he would do anything he could to help those in need and this town was defiantly in need.

She didn't know how to fight, although she had bugged the boys time and again since the wolf started to appear to train her. Still, no matter what she did, they refused, saying that they didn't want her to get hurt. She could have used the same argument for them. That she didn't want her friends to get hurt.

Selfie said that it was a boy thing, although Kairi thought it had more to do with stubbornness. It was the reason why she was stuck in her room at night, waiting for everyone to go to sleep so she could sneak out and see if she could find the wolf herself.

She didn't believe that she'd be of much help, and she also knew that the others would have worried had they heard she was doing such a thing. They would defiantly be angry as well. Still, she wasn't going to be the only one left behind. This time, she was going to help.

As the night went on, she heard the sounds of Master Yen Sid retreat for the night. Her, Sora, and Riku all stayed with him since most of their parents had fallen victim to the wolf. Kairi herself had mysteriously appeared at the town one night, where Riku and Sora had found her much to their surprise.

Waiting for a couple minutes to make sure that he didn't leave the room, she quickly threw on a cloak and her shoes, and slowly opened the door. To her relief, the door didn't creak, unlike most of the places in the old, rickety home. The beyond was dark and there was a chill in the air. Kairi paid it no mind as she walked across the wooden floorboards.

She was quiet as she made her way down the hall and into the entrance room, where she quickly slipped out the door and softly shut it behind her. The night outside was chilly, and there was a soft breeze that made its way through the trees of the forest that ran across the edge of the town. She could hear the townsfolk voices beyond the trees, calling to each other as if the noise would attract the wolf instead of tell it where not to go.

She decided that she would move around the area that the people were searching. She would cover more ground that way, and if she was quiet, it wouldn't expect her. She didn't know what she was going to do when she found the wolf. Perhaps run towards the people and tell them where she had spotted it. She only knew a little bit of self-defense thanks to Riku and Sora, and she did have a dagger with her, strapped to her side. She knew that it probably wouldn't be enough, but she was going to give it a try.

With that thought, she made her way into the woods. Despite lack of training, she had spent plenty of time in the woods so that she was comfortable with it. With the moon spilling its light through the gaps of the leaves, she could make out enough of the ground and branches to not stumble as she went along.

At every noise that wasn't her, she felt her hand instantly go towards the dagger at her side. Her blue eyes flickered around the area, scanning it carefully. There was more to fear than just the wolf in these woods. There were secrets here that many didn't know about. All of them might be able to get her killed.

Still, that didn't stop her as she went on. A lone girl walking through the woods at night. It sounded like a story that mothers told their children to scare them away from the very place she wandered.

It didn't feel very dangerous to her, but she mostly had lived a sheltered life with no sense of danger until it was too late. Sora had saved her once, from an accident, but she refused to be saved again. She was stronger than that, she knew. If only those around her would just believe in her.

The sound of footsteps made her halt. If one of the townsfolk found her they would report back to Master Yen Sid and she would be in trouble. It made her tense up, and her eyes darted around looking for a place to hide. Even if it wasn't some townsfolk, there was no reason to be caught by anything that wandered these woods.

With a sense of dread, she darted into one of the bushes, not caring as the twigs scrapped her arms. She crouched down, and her eyes peered out into the woods and saw a figure start to emerge from the shadows and into the moonlight.

He looked familiar, somehow. His blond hair was spiked up, and his clothes looked like they had seen better days. He peered around, as if listening for the townsfolk to see how close that they were. When he deemed that they were far enough away, he continued walking.

Kairi couldn't help but stare. There was something unnatural about him. Something about the way he walked and moved. Something about the air around him. She remained quiet as he got closer to where she was hiding, and then, as if he could sense her, his lips parted.

His teeth were sharp, as if they could easily tear her apart.

"Who's there?" his voice was cold, and Kairi felt every muscle in her body tense. She didn't dare move, and the boy looked around, eyes narrowing. She knew that if she moved, the branches of the bushes and undergrowth would make a sound and give her away. She didn't know how he had figured out that she was here. She had been completely silent the entire time.

"I can smell you," he added, and Kairi felt a horrifying realization dawn on her. This was no boy, this was the wolf.

He didn't appear like a wolf, but no one had ever seen him, they just said that he was a wolf, a beast. He could still be a beast in a human body. Plus, his mere presence sent chills down her spine. He felt like something that shouldn't have ever existed.

Like a predator stalking his prey, he slowly approached where she was hiding. On instinct, her hand inched towards her dagger, ready to swing at any given second. He came to a stop at the bush that she was hiding in, and her hand wrapped around the hilt of her dagger.

"I know you're there," he said, and his voice was soft as if he couldn't risk being heard. The sound of the townsfolk was getting closer. Perhaps he couldn't attack people all at once, perhaps he had to wait for one to go astray. One such as herself.

She needed to get out of here.

With all the strength she could muster, she lunged out of the bush and swung her dagger towards him, hoping for the element of surprise. She had planned to run once he was caught off guard, except things didn't go as planned. He grabbed her wrist before she could land a hit, and their eyes met.

It was hard to tell what color his eyes were in the darkness, but they looked like they were blue like hers. Those eyes bore into her, as if looking into her soul and sweat started to bead on her neck as fear took over.

She wondered if, like animals, he could smell the fear that was radiating from her. She should have never attempted to find him. She had been expecting a creature, not a beast in the shape of a boy. A boy that appeared to be around her age.

With all her strength, she tried to yank her hand away, but he didn't let go. Instead, he spoke to her softly, "If I let you go, you can't tell anyone that you saw me here. Not your family, nor your friends. Not even strangers or travelers. Do you understand?"

"You'll let me go…?" she whispered in disbelief, and his eyes narrowed.

"Only under those conditions," he responded, and she nodded solemnly and quickly. If she was going to escape, then she wasn't going to break those conditions if she could live.

"If you break those conditions, I will know, and I will come for you," he said evenly, and Kairi swallowed.

She was about to ask how he would know, when he brought the wrist he held to his mouth and bit down sharply. She let out a soft yelp as she felt energy radiate from that spot. There was a glow around her wrist where he had bit, and she realized that he had used magic on her. It took everything she had to stay calm.

"This mark will tell me if you have told anyone about me," he said, "And I will come for you if you go against your word. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she breathed. With that single word, he released her wrist, and the mark on her hand was suddenly gone.

She didn't question it as she took a couple steps back from the boy, stumbling in the undergrowth. Looking down to steady her feet, when she glanced back up, the boy was gone. There was no trace of a boy ever having been there, and for a moment, she wondered if it was because she had just lost her mind.

Then her wrist sent a pang of pain and she knew that it was real. That she had, of all people, encounter the wolf. She didn't know how she felt about it, but she knew that she had to keep her promise, least she be taken away by the wolf.

With those thoughts, she quickly headed back to the town, and back to the safety of Yen Sid's tower.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sora was tired, but that didn't stop him from greeting everyone that morning with a smile on his face. Even with the shadows under his eyes and the fact that they hadn't found the wolf last night, he appeared to be rather optimistic. Kairi wished that she could say the same for herself.

She was still dwelling on what she had seen last night. There were a lot of things that she had questions about, but then her eyes would flicker down to her wrist and she would remember that she couldn't say a single thing about what she had seen last night. Not only might they take her, but it was a mystery as to what they would do the people that she told. She wasn't going to risk other's safety because of this.

That was why when Riku noticed that she looked like she had gotten as much sleep as him and Sora, she simply said that she couldn't sleep, which wasn't much a lie. When she had returned home, there had been so much on her mind that she couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did. Instead, she laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering about the boy that she had seen in the woods that appeared to be the wolf.

By the time she fell asleep, the sun was already coming up and there was only a couple hours left before she needed to wake up. Now, she sat at a table with Sora and Riku, eating her food halfheartedly as she thought.

"Were you really that worried about us Kai?" Sora asked and Kairi glanced up and wondered if he would have ended up with an invisible mark like hers if he had been the one caught last night. She wondered if the only reason no one else knew about the wolf was because they had all been sworn to secrecy.

She responded, "You two are always running off without me and not letting me help. Of course I'm worried about you two, especially since you're training to fight the darkness growing in the woods."

Sora seemed sheepish at that, and Riku leaned forward, "Are you saying that you want to train every day like we do and then be sent to a place where it's possible we could die?"

The words weren't cruel, just honest. Nevertheless, it still felt like a slap in the face. She remembered the fear she had felt last night and she found herself shaking her head. That no, she didn't want to end up like some of the warriors that were sent away.

Long ago, villages had thrived all over the country, but then the darkness came and the warriors of light had to rise up to defend what was left of the light before it disappeared forever. Riku and Sora were no warriors of light, not yet, but they were training to help defend the light like those before them. It was said to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the town, and that was why they insisted that she didn't join them.

Still, she knew that the warriors of light had been both male and female in the past, and she didn't see any reason not to join them. Even though she knew that she was afraid at times, Kairi said, "I'm saying that I want to help you two instead of being protected all the time."

Before Riku could respond, Sora cut in, "I'm glad that you want to help, but I think the choice is up to Yen Sid, and you already know how he feels on the subject. His tests are difficult, even I'm not- well, I could be doing a lot better. Just supporting us from here is good enough." He smiled at the end, but Kairi simply leaned back in her chair and rubbed her wrist, knowing that this subject would be going nowhere.

"I'm going to go on a walk," she said suddenly, and before the two boys could say anything, she got up and walked away from the dining room. The entire place they lived at was a literal tower, and it felt very befitting for Master Yen Sid. The dining room was on the second floor of the tower, and the entrance room wasn't decorated much. It simply held the stairs that lead up to the rest of the tower.

Kairi walked down these steps as fast as she could, and hopped down the last few and walked towards the door. She didn't hear the two boys following her, and she was grateful for it. She needed to spend some time alone with her thoughts.

There was the fear that she might accidently let slip what had happened in the woods. Her hand reached over to where her marked wrist was, and she wondered what sort of magic exactly had been used on her. It must have been dark magic, there was nothing else more perfect for a beast than dark magic. Especially since he was apparently made of dark magic.

Pushing open the door of the tower, she headed out onto the road. The tower was a couple of minutes' walk right outside of the town, and as such was the first line of defense. On the hill at the edge of the town was where the other master was. Master Eraqus had three apprentices, although she had never seen them, or if she had she hadn't noticed.

She thought that she would notice them, though, since they all wore a heart pin to show that they were Master Eraqus's apprentices. Perhaps it was because they spent most of the day training. Her time was mostly spent doing errands for Master Yen Sid when she was in town, and she sometimes wished she could be like the three apprentices and train herself.

It was a pipe dream, however, so she simply walked down the path, and avoided the woods. Even so, she swore that eyes were on her constantly. She didn't know if it was paranoia, but she kept glancing at the woods to see if there was anything hiding amongst the trees. Of course, there was nothing there, but she couldn't help but check after the events of last night.

When she reached the town, she saw the two guards at the gates who greeted her and she nodded back as she entered through the gates that surrounded the town. Inside, the atmosphere was a lot more comfortable and inviting then the path she had taken, and she could see children playing along the roads and running around with their parents talking to one another.

She remembered doing the same with Sora and Riku when they were kids before they started rigorous training.

As she walked, she heard someone call her name. When she glanced around behind her she saw that it was her friend Selphie. A smile lit up here face as she saw her and she walked over to where Selphie was.

"Hey," Kairi greeted and Selphie offered a smile.

"Hey! Have you heard?" Selphie was a sort of queen of knowing what was going on around the town. She was where most of Kairi's information about the townsfolk came from. It felt nice to listen to her sometimes, it was almost like she was living a normal life. Plus, Selphie liked to hear what Sora and Riku were up to since she was curious about the Masters of the town, and thus their friendship bloomed.

"What happened this time?" Kairi asked, and Selphie motioned for them to go on walking.

"Well, I was on my way to the market, when, out of nowhere, I heard that there was talk of a third master," Selphie's voice went dramatically quieter as she spoke, and Kairi looked over at her with wide eyes.

"What…?"

"Yeah," Selphie nodded, "But he isn't a Master of the Light, I heard that he's a Master of the Darkness. They say the witch and the wolf are in line with him. Now Master Eraqus is desperately training his most talented apprentice to bestow upon her the title of master so that she can help battle him should he approach."

"…'she?'" Kairi suddenly felt betrayed somehow, by learning that not only did Master Eraqus have a female apprentice that he was training, but that she was the closest to becoming a master. That could have been her, had it not been for Master Yen Sid.

Selphie seemed to notice her expression, and she said, "You didn't know?"

"I haven't seen the apprentices of Master Eraqus," Kairi said, "All I know is that there was a boy named Ven who was taken in by him after his brother disappeared…"

She remembered the rumors, then. How the wolf was Ven's twin brother. Perhaps if she tried to find him, she would find something out. Maybe she could tell him… No, that was too dangerous for the both of them.

She was going to have to insert herself into the equation somehow.

"You're thinking of taking action, aren't you?" Selphie laughed as Kairi looked at her stunned, "I can tell by your eyes. You've always been a determined person."

"I think I'm going to go have a word with Master Eraqus," Kairi said, and Selphie nodded.

"Good luck Kairi," she said and Kairi nodded as she made her way towards Master Eraqus's estate.

/

She honestly didn't know what she was going to say to Master Eraqus. Instead, she stared at the doors in front of her wondering what she was going to say.

As she stood there, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Quickly, she turned around and saw a young woman walking towards her. She had blue hair that matched her eyes, and on her collarbone, was the heart pin that all of Master Eraqus's apprentices wore, kept in place by pink straps. She looked surprised to see her there.

"Oh, aren't you the girl that lives with Master Yen Sid?" her voice was soft and gentle, and Kairi found herself nodding. The young woman examined her for a moment before asking, "What are you doing here?"

Kairi flushed as she had no idea how to respond to that, so she simply said the truth, "I came here to ask to be trained." The words sounded silly as they rolled off her tongue, and she was sure that this woman was wondering why she couldn't have just gone to her own Master and asked him to train her.

"Training?" there was surprise on her face at Kairi's words, and for a moment neither of them said anything, "May I ask your name?"

"I'm Kairi," she introduced, "And you…?"

"I'm Aqua," it was a fitting name. Not just appearance wise, but also the vibe that she gave off, "Why won't you train under Master Yen Sid?"

"He won't let me. He says that it's too dangerous and that the training is too difficult," Kairi said and quickly added, "And I know it is, but I'm willing to try. I need to…"

Desperation had entered her voice at the end, and she felt her hand stray to her wrist. She wondered if she could tear off the mark and how much it would hurt or if it would even work. If it wasn't for this mark then perhaps she wouldn't have thought of doing something as absurd as this, but she knew what the wolf looked like and she knew that she might slip eventually and she needed to know how to defend herself.

Plus, there was the threat of a third Master apparently, and that meant that it was possible that everyone needed to learn how to defend themselves.

There was a bit of reluctance in Aqua's eyes as she stared at Kairi, but she said slowly, "I'll talk to the Master about it."

Relief flooded through Kairi, "Thank you, Aqua."

She nodded, "Follow me, I'll show you to him."

Aqua walked towards the door of the estate and opened it, ushering her in. Kairi stared at the door for a moment, then glanced towards Aqua and took a deep breath as her fate was about to change forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Aqua made small conversation with her, although Kairi hardly paid attention. She was paying too much attention to the hallways as she passed them. They were decorated with large paintings on colored walls, and the ground that they passed was covered in plush carpet. It was easy to see that Master Eraqus was wealthy, and that his apprentices were well off.

That didn't mean that Master Yen Sid wasn't wealthy. He was more on the simplistic side with few decorations. He said that being materialistic would result in their downfall. That was why their rooms hardly had any decorations, although Sora occasionally would bring home the things that he found when he was exploring the edge of the woods or wandering around town.

Riku was more of the type of person that kept to himself, although he held an air of confidence around him. He didn't make friends with everyone like Sora did, although he did have close friends, and just like Sora, believed in the power of friendship. Kairi believed in that too.

Still, she wondered how far it would take her to just believe without action, although she supposed that was why she was here wandering down Eraqus's halls in his estate, following one of his students.

Aqua looked a little older than her, although she couldn't tell by how much, and her steps were light. Kairi didn't know if the reason she couldn't hear her footsteps was because of the carpet or because of the gentleness of the way she stepped. It was almost like she was gliding on air instead of walking on the ground. It was subtle, but Aqua held an air of grace around her despite her simple appearance.

Aqua slowly came to a halt in front of one of the doors, and Kairi stopped a couple paces behind her. She turned to look at Kairi, and she asked in a soft voice, "Are you sure about this? I cannot guarantee that he'll agree to this."

"It's worth a try," Kairi responded, and with that Aqua knocked on the door.

There was a second of silence before a voice inside called out, "Come in."

Aqua opened the door for her, and Kairi walked inside. There was a bit of hesitation as she did so, but she did her best to hide it. She had only ever seen Master Eraqus once but she remembered the scar on his face and the seriousness in his eyes. He held himself with pride, much like Aqua held herself with grace. It was obvious that he was a Master.

Master Eraqus was sitting at a desk when they entered, and when he looked up there was an obvious amount of surprise on his face when he saw Kairi enter behind Aqua. His eyes examined her for a long moment, then turned towards Aqua as if searching for an explanation. Aqua motioned for Kairi to stood beside her and Kairi did so rather unsure.

"You're Kairi, aren't you?" Master Eraqus asked, and Kairi nodded. There was a moment of silence and Eraqus and Aqua seemed to silently communicate through their gazes. It was much like what Sora and Riku did, but on a more serious scale. He went on, "And what brings you here to my home?"

This was it. It was either all or nothing, so Kairi said, "I am here because I wish to train. Master Yen Sid refuses to, and I wish to find someone who will train me so I won't be so helpless."

She didn't know if the truth would be enough to sway him, and it was hard to tell if it did. Master Eraqus's expression didn't change a bit, and for a second, the silence was deafening. It was almost as if Kairi had raised a weapon at him instead of ask to be trained. Perhaps it was just because she was nervous.

"I'm afraid that's something that I can't do," Master Eraqus had a neutral expression on his face, and Kairi bit her lip, having somehow expected that answer.

"But why?" Kairi couldn't help but ask, "Why does no one want me to train? Do I really come off as that weak to the others around me?"

"That is something that is outside of my boundaries to tell you. It is Master Yen Sid's job to determine whether or not you need to be trained. I know that you are of age, and I see the frustration in your eyes, but it is outside my jurisdiction. I will not inform Master Yen Sid that you were here," Master Eraqus finished, before returning to what he had been writing before.

Suddenly, Kairi felt helpless, and she swallowed as she felt her eyes burn. It suddenly felt like everywhere she turned was a dead end and she hated it. She wanted to be able to do something. She needed to. She almost glanced down at her wrist as if the mark would be a visible reminder of what had happened to her.

"Fine," Kairi got out and she turned on her heel and started to walk out the way she came, somehow knowing that she wouldn't' be able to fight his decision.

However, as she walked away, she heard Master Eraqus say, "And Kairi?"

"Yes?" she didn't dare turn around.

"Stay out of the woods."

/

Aqua saw the girl off. She felt terrible for her. In a way, she understood. She had tried her best to train so that she could stand beside her friends. If it wasn't for Terra and Ventus she didn't know where she would be.

Still, as Aqua walked back inside, she found that the Master was waiting for her. His eyes were grim, and he looked more serious than he had ever seen him before.

"Why can't you tell her that she is a princess of light?" Aqua asked, and Master Eraqus tore his eyes away from the door. He suddenly looked haunted underneath all the seriousness in his expression.

"She may well be our last hope if everything goes askew. We can't risk losing her," he paused, and there was a girm expression on his face, "Although I fear we may already have. Did you sense the darkness that was swarming around her?"

"I did," Aqua said, "It was the only reason I brought her to you, to make sure that what I sensed was correct. Is that how you knew that she entered the woods?"

Aqua knew that the darkness originated in the woods, but she didn't know how it came to be or why it haunted them so. She knew that it was possible for the darkness to sometimes slip into the town, and that was why she had assumed that Kairi had run into it in town unknowingly.

But then again, perhaps she was aware. Perhaps that was why she had asked to fight, and if so then it might not have been a wise idea to turn her away. But Aqua trusted Master Eraqus's judgement. He was the one that had saved all three of them, after all.

"What happens if the Princess of Light becomes corrupted?" Aqua asked, and Master Eraqus shook his head.

"It has never happened before. Their hearts are made of pure light, and that is why they are able to repel the darkness so easily. If something has managed to attach darkness to her, then they must be a powerful being. Aqua, as my most capable apprentice, I want you to find who did this to her. Will you investigate for me?" Master Eraqus eyes bore into her own, "And please confirm that this isn't what I think it is."

"You don't think that the wolf is responsible for this?" Aqua gasped at the thought. There was no way that the wolf would have let her live. There were so many things in the woods, and the wolf was the worst of them all. Suddenly, she feared for Kairi's life.

"I hope not, for all our sakes," Master Eraqus said. He looked like he had more to say, but a voice called out from the second floor.

"What are you two talking about?" the two looked up, and a smiling Ven was looking down at them. He didn't seem to notice the tension in the air at first, and his light voice made it melt away all the same.

Despite training for years, he still held an air of naivety around him. That was what made Aqua so keen on wanting to protect him, although she knew that she shouldn't. He needed to learn how the world worked on his own through experience. Even if not all experiences weren't positive. Still, Aqua wanted to protect that smile.

"Kairi came by," Aqua supplied, and Master Eraqus gave her a look as if to say to take care of this and to not let him know what they had talked about before. Apparently, Master Eraqus wanted to keep what he had told Aqua under wraps.

"Oh? Isn't she the one that lives with Master Yen Sid and his apprentices?" Ven asked and before Aqua could answer he came bounding down the stairs, "What was she here for?"

"She wanted to train like us," Aqua informed him, "But I think Master Eraqus has enough on his plate with the three of us."

The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. She hated lying to her friends, even if it was just white lies. Still, Ven didn't seem to notice how awkward the words came as they fell from her tongue. He was too trusting, she thought, too innocent. Even with all the things that he'd been through.

She still wondered what happened to his twin brother to this day.

But that was a question that she would never have an answer to. Besides, it seemed like he hardly remembered it anyways, and he hardly asked questions about it.

"Why can't Master Yen Sid train her? Why is he so reluctant to train her?"

"He's much older than Master Eraqus, I'm sure that two is more than enough for him. Too bad there isn't a third master that she could train under." Aqua swallowed slightly, as if trying to take back the taste of the lies.

And still, Ven didn't notice. Perhaps she was a better liar than she thought she was. She didn't how she felt about that.

"Well, the test for you and Terra to become Master's is around the corner, so maybe with a new master she'll get it a chance?" Ven said questioningly, and Aqua smiled.

"Yeah maybe. Speaking of, where is Terra, I need to talk to him about something."

Ven blinked, before he said, "I think he's in the training room. Anyways, I'm going to go out to town. Master Eraqus asked me to help him pick some things up the other day and I forgot about it, so I should do it now."

Aqua looked like she was about to scold him, but Ven gave her a sheepish smile and quickly escaped through the front door before she could do anything.

"Later Aqua!" he called.

Aqua waved goodbye, and when the door was closed, she made her way towards the training room in the back of the estate.

Her mind was suddenly filled with the fact that she was going to take the test of Masters soon. Not many people passed the first time, and it was a stressing time. Not to mention that once she became a master, there was the fact that she would be sent out to fight those that resided in the woods. Even with all the training she did, she didn't know if she was ready to face the real thing.

Going against people she knew meant her no home and going against things that wanted to kill her were two completely different things. She wondered if it was possible to stay close so she could still keep an eye on Ven and Terra, even though they were both capable to take care of themselves. Not to mention, the wolf was terrorizing the town and they needed as much help with that as they could get.

That was probably her being too hopeful. She decided not to think about it until it was time for her and Terra to take the test. With that, she took a deep breath, and opened up the door to the training room at the back of the estate.

There, she could hear the sound of Terra fighting. The sound of metal clashing against a wooden dummy could be heard. She could see him using Earthshaker, a sword that had chosen him when he was taken in for training. Each of their swords had magical properties which allowed them to use magic even if they weren't gifted with it originally. The swords also chose their wielder.

As they grew, their sword grew with them. Some blades even evolved, but due to the fact that they weren't masters, nor had they done much other than train, their blades had remained the same over the years.

"Terra," Aqua called, and Terra looked over to where she was and stopped mid swing. His earthy colored blade halted with him, and he looked surprised to see her there. It wasn't surprising, she was usually helping out with various other duties and didn't have much time to train herself. That didn't mean that she was a good fighter though. Her and Terra were on equal level with each other, and Ven and the Master knew it.

It was going to be tough to call which one was going to become Masters, perhaps they both would, or perhaps neither of them would. It was more likely that they wouldn't become one than anything.

She didn't know why she came to Terra. She didn't know if she should tell him what the Master said to her, but she did know that she needed to distract herself.

"Would you like to spare?" she asked lightly, and Terra paused and examined her.

"Aqua, are you ok?" he didn't tiptoe around it. Aqua used to joke when they were younger that Terra could be oblivious to certain things, and ever since then he had tried his best to become more aware of his surroundings.

Still, she was tired of lying, so she gave a weary smile and said, "No. But it's fine. I'm just doing what Master Eraqus asked of me."

Terra didn't question any further and instead raised his blade into a ready stance in understanding. She walked towards the sword rack and grabbed her own blade; Rainfell. There were no words spoken as their eyes met and Terra charged across the training room.

Aqua nimbly dodged. Her feet danced as she spun around him. He quickly turned and raised his blade just as she brought it down. Impromptu battles were common among them. Master Eraqus said it was good practice since the enemy would announce their presence or when they would attack.

Perhaps it was because of the stress of the day, but Aqua was unusually clumsy. She noticed it as their blades clashed and skidded off each other. She jumped away, breath heavy as her blue eyes narrowed at Terra.

They paused for a moment, simply examining each other, before Aqua suddenly sent a blast of frost towards him. It was powerful. More powerful than it normally was, and it spread across the room. Magi was based on emotions, so it made sense that the stronger she felt the stronger the magic. She glided amongst the ice that was left on the ground as Terra dodged. Her blade raised and she drove her blade into the wall right beside Terra's head.

It was game over.

A dissatisfied smile appeared on her face as she took in Terra, and she stated, "You went easy on me."

"I thought that you could use getting out all that negativity," it was a well-meaning question, and she did feel a little better now. Her eyes flickered over to the window that brought the afternoon light into the room.

"Do you ever feel like something's going to go wrong?" Aqua felt herself ask. She didn't tell her mouth to move, it simply took on a mind of its own.

"I've felt that way ever since the wolf has been going around killing people," Terra stated, "It's an uncomfortable feeling."

Aqua nodded, "I just… want to do what's best for everyone. Not just for you and Ven, but for the entire village as well. That's what Master Eraqus taught us. Yet…"

She had so many doubts about going away and doing what she needed to do. Terra seemed to sense that a placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know that you'll be able to figure it out. You always do," Terra placed a hand on her shoulder and she nodded.

"Yeah, I hope so. Thank you Terra," Aqua smiled, yet the heavy feeling didn't leave. Not as, in the corner of her eye, she noticed that there was a shoulder in the woods that lay near their house.

It disappeared as soon as she tried to focus on it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kairi woke up that night with a feeling of dread in her stomach. Her wrist burned, and she felt like she wasn't alone. Fear pooled into her stomach, and she quickly looked around wondering if there was something in her room.

It had to have been impossible. Master Yen Sid had the entire place warded against anything in the forest. At the very least, they would know when someone tried to enter the tower. Yet, she still felt a presence in her room.

"Who's there?" she asked, voice soft. There was no response, and she spoke a bit louder, "I said, who's there-"

There was suddenly a hand around her mouth and her body tensed. This was one of the very reasons that she wanted to learn how to fight. Instead, all she could do was tense and go very still. Her eyes flickered to the side and she saw slightly spiky hair. Darkness obscured their face, yet she had a feeling she knew who it was.

The wolf. Somehow, he had managed to enter her room without alerting anyone. Her mind whirled, and she wondered frantically if she had let it slip somehow that she had been cursed. Perhaps they had noticed by the way she was acting. She wondered if she was to be taken away.

"Be quiet, he's hunting," he sounded like he was trying to not sound urgent, but she could tell by the tension in his posture that whatever it was wasn't good. There was something that was powerful enough to scare the wolf.

Clearly, it wasn't one of the townsfolk. He had no problem the other night with them all hunting for him. It must have been something else that originated from the woods. She didn't want to imagine what it could be.

She wondered why he chose her home to inhabit. It was closest to the woods and outside the town, but it was also heavily protected. Not to mention that a Master and his apprentices lived here. With their keen senses, even if something had slipped through the protection wards, then they would have sensed that something was wrong.

Without thinking, she bit his hand, expecting him to withdraw in surprise. However, he only seemed to flinch. There was no way that he was going to let her go.

"Don't scream, he'll find you," the wolf growled, "And that's the last thing anyone needs. Resident of the town or not."

Her eyebrows rose in a silent question, and he lowered his voice, "His name is Vanitas. He's the hunter of the woods, and he's been looking for you. He would have slaughtered you on spot."

Somehow, fear entered her veins. She felt ice cold, despite the warmth of the blankets and the hand that was still covering her mouth. She had never heard of a hunter, nor his name. However, by the way the wolf made it sound, it seemed like he was after her for some reason.

"If you stay quiet and don't scream, I'll release my hand. Do we have a deal?" Kairi nodded her head at those words, and he slowly let her go. She sat up cautiously, and their eyes never left each other.

"Why are you here?" she asked, and he took a step back from her bed.

"Wolves are normally the ones that have been hunted, or have you forgotten what the townspeople have been doing for most of your life?" she blinked at him.

"They also kill," she said, voice low.

He tensed for a moment, before he said, "They kill to survive. Do you want to know who attacked first all those years ago?"

"No," Kairi stated, "I wouldn't believe a word that you'd have to say."

"Trust me on the hunter at least. He's been trying to figure out a way to bypass the wards on this place. I have a feeling that he knows that you're here," his eyes narrowed, "And you can't be risked."

"Why would you care?" she had to keep her voice from raising, "You're the one that cursed me in the first place."

"I did," the wolf agreed, "But the witch said that you're the one that will save all of us. That's why I'm here. For a shot at salvation."

"You want me to save you?" she asked, and the wolf looked over at her. Even in the darkness she could feel the intensity of his gaze.

"I want you to save everyone I care about," was his response. Kairi wanted to ask how, but she suddenly sensed something sinister in the air. The wolf seemed to sense it, too, and he swore under his breath.

"He's inside," Kairi tensed and her mind darted to Sora and Riku. If something this dangerous was inside then they needed to know. She had to go and inform them. However, before she could go, the wolf quickly took a hold of her arm.

"We need to go," he stated and Kairi was about to protest when she felt a cool sensation around her. She jerked up and out of her bed, nearly crashing into the wolf. When she looked down she saw that she was looking at pure darkness. It reached up and surrounded the two of them. Terror made it impossible for her to scream, and her fight or flight senses kicked in.

She tried to escape it, but the wolf took hold of her arm and pulled her towards him, back towards the darkness. Her lips parted, finally having the senses to scream, but the darkness suddenly surrounded them. Her vision went out and she felt her knees give out as she was pulled through the darkness.

/

Namine was trying to organize the scattering of drawings around her when she heard a thump come from outside her room. Wondering who it was entering her home so late at night, she placed the pile of papers on her white desk and exited her room.

There, she saw that the wolf had returned, along with a girl slumped on the ground beside him. It was clear that she had fallen unconscious when he used the darkness to teleport them to her home. Her blue eyes flickered up to his and he suddenly looked sheepish as his eyes landed on the red head that was passed out on the ground beside him.

"Roxas?" Namine asked, "What happened?"

Roxas looked over at her, then kneeled down to Kairi and scooped her up, "Vanitas found her. I had to get her out of there. There wasn't much time."

He walked over to the plush white couch and carefully set Kairi down on top of it, "I'll return her in the morning, when he's gone. Hopefully she'll just think that the entire thing was a horrible dream."

It was strange to see the one that Diz said would save all the ones in the woods. Her and Roxas and Axel had searched for her as best they could. When Diz said that there was a girl that had appeared one day with no recollection of where she had been before, they had been keeping an eye on her. It was by luck that Roxas had managed to find her and place a mark on her.

"It is a small town," Namine said softly, "I guess it's no surprise he found her so soon."

Roxas nodded silently, before he turned to look back at her. There was always a look of despair in his eyes, although it was the same with all of them. Their promised fate wasn't a good one, unless they changed it somehow.

"Is there any word on what's happening with Master Xehanort? He's been silent for so long, it's starting to be worrying," he moved to grab a blanket that was folded on the edge of the couch and placed it over Kairi. The air was chilly, especially in the woods.

"Diz doesn't even know his whereabouts," Namine said, "We've been looking for him as best we could."

"Do you think we can find him through Vanitas?" Roxas asked as he turned away from Kairi and walked so that he was standing just a little ways from the blonde haired girl.

"Diz doesn't think so. He says that Vanitas is only a means of Xehanort doing what he wants done without having to do it himself. In other words, he's disposable," just like she was. She supposed that, despite Vanitas's bloodshed, the two were much the same. They were brought into existence when they were unwanted, and they were being used. If he wasn't so cruel, Namine might have been able to feel some sort of sympathy for him.

Roxas sighed, and ran a hand through his spiky hair. There was tension in his shoulders and there was a frustrated frown on his face. Vanitas and Xehanort posed not just a threat to Kairi and the town, but also to them.

They were told that they were mistakes that were never meant to exist. Because of this, it would be easy to use and control them since they were no longer a whole person. Their soul was shattered.

That was how Roxas became a wolf; his soul got split. Namine hadn't meant to turn him into the same thing as Axel and her, but she had been a small child then, and Diz had told her that it was necessary. She regretted it every moment of her life once she understood what it was that she had done. Roxas had told her time and again that it wasn't her fault, yet, she still found herself apologizing. The happy kid that ate ice cream with his brother and laughed easily was gone. Now, there was a fragment of anger in his heart that wouldn't go away.

What was left of his heart, anyways.

It had changed Roxas a lot through the years. Namine had remembered how he used to be, compared to how he was now. The childlike nature was gone, replaced by something more cold. There was still kindness in his actions, but it was different. The woods had changed him, like it had changed everyone who ended up here.

"Axel should be back soon," Namine said, "I don't know what he was up to, but he said to tell you that you should be wary of the town from now on. The Masters' apprentices have been searching the woods as well."

Namine couldn't bear to see Roxas hurt. He was someone that had been with her since nearly the beginning. They weren't exactly friends, but they were close. That was why she didn't want him to wander the woods as much as he did. She knew that he felt obligated to do so. She knew that he had to do so, but she feared for his life most days.

Axel was older, and had more training under his belt. He used to be an assassin and it showed in the way he managed his jobs. He never spoke of the days that he spent killing influential people in the town, but she knew that, just like her, he regretted his actions and was trying to make up for it by lifting the curse of those in the woods.

He was also trying to set them free.

She wondered if he would ever have a chance.

"He's going to be surprised," Roxas said as he glanced back at Kairi's sleeping form, "Do you think that Axel has a chance against Vanitas?"

"I don't think any of us do," she whispered, "Much less against a monster like that."

Before the two could say another word to each other, the door of the old cabin in the woods creaked open. The two both turned and saw that Axel had returned. His tall form walked through the doors, and his red, spiked up hair just brushed against the top of the doorframe. His expression was strained, and he looked at the two of them.

"Axel-?" Namine started, but Roxas quickly shushed her and rushed over to him.

His hand was wrapped around his torso, and when she looked closer she noticed that there was blood on his shirt. Instantly, she went pale, wondering what had happened to him while he was away. The moment that Roxas reached him, he nearly slumped to the ground as if all of his energy had been spent trying to get back. Roxas quickly caught hold of him and slung one of Axel's arm over his shoulder.

"What happened?" Roxas asked quickly, and Namine moved out of there way and shut the door behind them. Before she did so, though, she peered out into the night to make sure that whatever had attacked Axel wasn't outside of their door.

Roxas could fight well. He was mostly self-taught, although Axel had taught him some of the basics as well when he was younger to get him started. It was when two powerful blades named Oathkeeper and Oblivion had chosen Roxas that Axel knew that Roxas was destined to surpass him.

It was unheard of for a creature that dwelled in the woods to own a magical blade, and rarer for anyone to wield more than one. Roxas surpassed both of these laws, making him almost as feared as Vanitas for the darker things that dwelled in the forest.

Namine didn't doubt his abilities to protect them when Axel couldn't, but she still wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything that had found them just in case they escaped to tell others. They were trying their best to stay hidden.

"I was… attacked…" Axel managed to get out, "It's nothing…new…"

His breathing was heavy, and she worried that the wound was too much. Roxas seemed to think the same thing as he brought Axel towards the chairs and sat him down.

"Namine, get the potions," he ordered, and she quickly did as she was told. Running towards her room, she picked up a handful of salves and potions, trying to find the more powerful ones she had made. From the room, she could hear the two talking.

"Who is that?" Axel's voice was quiet and it was nearly impossible to hear him. The only reason she could was because the walls were thin.

"Kairi," Roxas informed him, "The one that Diz said would be able to save us."

There was a long moment of silence, before Axel said, "She doesn't look like she'll make it out here if we don't do something."

"I wasn't planning on keeping her here," as Roxas spoke this, Namine came out with her hands filled with medicine. She carefully walked back to make sure she didn't drop anything and Roxas took some from her hands and placed them on the table.

She followed suite and the two quickly worked to apply it on the wound.

"I'm going to need to sew it," Namine said as they worked, noticing how deep the wound was.

"Do whatever you need to do. I've told you before, right? I don't want to die here. Got it memorized?" Axel said through his heavy breathing.

"None of us do," Roxas said, almost exasperated, but there was a lot of worry in his voice. Namine ran back to her room to get something to stich Axel's wound up. Within seconds she was back and kneeled in front of him on the ground.

"Don't tense and don't move," Namine told him as she started to work on him. Axel gritted his teeth in preparation and tried his best to relax as Namine started to work on him.

Groans fell from his mouth in pain, and he gripped the edge of the table as he tried his best not to tense. This wasn't exactly the first time that Namine had to do this, but it had been a long time since Axel came back with this deep of a wound. She wondered what exactly had attacked him for his side to be so damaged.

"You need to be more careful Axel," Namine said softly, "We worry about you."

"I know, I know. Now are you done yet?" Axel said through gritted teeth. Namine nodded as she cut the thread and moved away.

"It should be healed soon," Namine informed him. Since they weren't exactly people, their bodies healed a lot quicker than normal humans. Where a wound like the one Axel had would take quite a lot of time to heal, it took only a couple days for them.

"Thanks Namine," Axel grunted, then glanced over at the couch where Kairi was. He froze for a moment, before his voice went quiet, "Is she supposed to be awake?"

At that, both Roxas and Namine spun around to see that Kairi was sitting up on the couch, staring in horror at the blood pooled around Axel.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Noises had been the thing that had woken Kairi up. She felt like everything was foggy at first as she heard people talking to each other. For a moment, she thought it was Sora and Riku, but upon listening closer, she realized that she didn't recognize the voices. That was when she sat up and saw three people gathered around a table.

Her eyes were drawn from the blond-haired boy, red haired man, and the girl in the white dress, to the blood that stained the ground before them. Seeing the blood instantly cleared her mind and she felt herself sit up as the three turned to look at her.

"What's going on here?" she suddenly remembered how she was taken from her bedroom, and realized that this was where she had ended up. All three of them looked panicked and the blonde-haired girl was the one that stepped forward.

She was small, with large blue eyes and light blonde hair that fell over her shoulder. The white dress that she wore was stained red from the blood, and behind her on the table, Kairi noticed that there was medicine.

"You're in the woods. Roxas had to get you away from the Hunter," her voice was soft and gentle, but Kairi didn't believe she could trust her.

Instead, her eyes flickered over to the two males as she asked, "Roxas? You mean the wolf?"

"Yes, that's right," she said, "And I'm Namine. The hurt one is Axel. He was attacked by something in the woods, so there's nothing to fear."

Kairi's eyes darted back towards Roxas. She chewed on her bottom lip as nerves got to her and she tried to process everything. Her mind was whirling and she wondered if Roxas had told the truth when he said there was a hunter that got into the tower. She doubted it.

"Kairi please," she was begging now, and Kairi was taken aback for a moment at that, "We need your help. We don't want to be bound to these woods any longer."'

"Bound to the woods?" Kairi asked. She looked at the three, and noticed how grim their expressions had gotten, "What do you mean?"

"We used to be normal people, just like the townsfolk. But then that all changed when the woods claimed us. Basically, it put its curse on us, got it memorized?" The man with red hair was the one that had spoken, and Kairi only glanced over at him for a long moment with her eyebrows furrowing.

"I know that the wolf used to be," her mind was trying to piece everything together, "But what do you mean that you two are also cursed?"

Unlike Roxas, the two looked normal. Where Roxas had almost canine like teeth and a dangerous presence, the other two felt normal. The girl especially didn't look at all intimidating. Yet, if they knew the wolf then there was a possibility that what she said was true.

"My name is Namine," the girl introduced, "And I'm the… the witch."

Her voice caught in her throat as if she was ashamed. Without really meaning to, Kairi felt herself scoot back against the couch as much as she could. The two before her were the two that she had been taught to fear growing up. Not just her, but everyone who lived in the town.

Now that the two were known, she could only wonder who the red-haired man was. There was no way that he wasn't a part of this, but there were so many other stories of what dwelled in the woods that he could have been anything.

"Axel isn't… well, he's more normal than us two. He's the Firetamer," Kairi looked surprised at that. She couldn't remember having ever heard of him, yet the name rang a bell somehow. Axel gave a grin, although she noticed that there was pain in his eyes. That was when she noticed that his shirt was gone and that there were stitches in his side. Her eyes widened.

She knew that Namine had said that Axel was hurt, but she hadn't realized how badly. She probably should have guessed from all the blood on the ground. The last time that she had seen someone this hurt was when Riku had been attacked when he had been walking towards the town when they were kids.

Sensing her sudden panic, Axel quickly said, "Hey now, there's no need to panic. I was just attacked by the monsters in the woods."

"Monsters…?" Kairi had never gone deep into the woods before, nor had most of the townsfolk. She didn't really know what dwelled in the woods, and those that came back from being sent out after finishing their training never wanted to talk about what they had seen. Scars were left on their heart and mind from what they had seen.

Perhaps it was what these monsters were. Maybe there was a lot more to the woods than what she thought. More to the wolf than what she thought. She had remembered that Roxas had told her the wolves killed to survive, and she suddenly didn't know how she felt about that.

"Yes," Namine looked grim as she said this. Her blue eyes became distant, "We've been hunting them down at the command of our… leader. He says that there are those in town that are cultivating their existence, and that the third Master is the reason they exist."

Kairi slowly got up, "Who is this 'third Master.' I've heard mention of him before, yet no one seems to know anything about him."

"The other masters do, they just don't want to mention him. They fear his very name," Roxas said. His teeth were bared as if in disdain, "They're too weak to go against him."

"Don't talk about the Masters like that," Kairi found herself saying. Her blood was cold, not from anger, but from fear. If the most powerful people in town feared this third master, then what could anyone do to stop him?

Roxas's gaze was heavy as it settled upon her, and Kairi had to do her best not to flinch away from it. She might lose to him in terms of physical strength, but she refused to lose to him in terms of mental strength. Their eyes locked onto the other's, and a thick silence entered the room.

Seeing that she wasn't about to turn away, Roxas finally said, "It's the truth. Sometimes the people that you trust the most are the ones that don't deserve it."

"The one that doesn't deserve my trust is you," Kairi spat, "Now take me back. I haven't told anyone about the mark or meeting you. And I won't tell anyone how the witch and wolf took me away in the middle of the night."

"It was to save your life," Roxas stated, "I'd be a little more appreciative if I were you."

Roxas took a step forward and peered down at Kairi. She had thought that they were the same height at first, but now that he was closer, she realized that he was a little taller. She also noticed that his eyes were also wolf-like.

"After the lives you've taken, I'd never be appreciative," Kairi didn't know where this spark of bravery came from. But it allowed her to speak her mind. She had rarely done this in all her life, but there was something about Roxas that pushed her to the edge. Yes, she was scared of him, but not enough to hold her tongue. If he was going to harm her, he would have done so already. Not to mention, he apparently needed her.

"Alright, alright," Axel suddenly cut in, "Roxas, take her back. It's almost morning and the hunter should be gone by now. Plus, if she's gone any longer then Master Yen Sid and his apprentices will notice."

Roxas nodded, and asked pointedly, "You won't pass out this time, will you?"

Kairi frowned but didn't answer. Instead, she looked down at the darkness that was gathering by her feet.

"How can you do this?" she asked.

Roxas shrugged as the darkness wrapped around them, "It was a part of the curse."

As he said that, the darkness wrapped around them, and brought Kairi home.

/

"He acts different around her," Axel noted, "Or maybe it's because he doesn't know her that well. He sure doesn't act that way around us."

"You're his best friend," Namine pointed out as she proceeded to finish wrapping a bandage around his abdomen, "Of course he doesn't act distant around you."

"No that isn't it," Axel said looking at where the two had been, "Well, maybe it is actually. Or maybe he doesn't know how to act around someone that knows is his only shot at being saved."

"Maybe," Namine said softly, "How are we going to get her to help us, though?

"Don't know," Axel said as he got up as Namine was finished wrapping the bandages. He flinched as he moved, but he was careful. He looked down at Namine and said, "I'm going to go rest in my room. Hopefully I'll heal quicker than usual."

"Yeah, hopefully," Namine said, and Axel nodded and walked over to where one of the doors to the rooms was.

Namine looked down and noticed that there was blood on the rim of her dress. There were also splatter marks against its white fabric. It wasn't the first time that her dress had been stained from one of the males' blood.

It happened far too often for her liking. She quickly went to get rags and a bucket of water to clean up the blood on the ground, and then she would change into something that wasn't bloody. It was also almost morning, which meant that she should probably get some sleep. She hadn't slept in days. She was too busy doing the work which Diz had told her to do.

Grabbing rags, and a bucket with water, she returned to where Axel had been by the table and started cleaning up. As she did so, she sensed another presence and looked up to see Roxas. He looked just as exhausted as she felt, and she knew that traveling a lot made him tired.

He had also been awake for almost as long as she had been. The two defiantly needed some sleep.

"Why do you act so cold around Kairi?" Namine asked, remembering what Axel had said. He froze at that, looking a bit surprised.

After a moment, his eyes became distant and he said, "I don't know. Maybe I don't want there to be more darkness clinging to her than there already is."

Namine felt a sad smile grace her lips, "If she knew how kind you were she might get attached, right?"

"I'm not kind," Roxas glanced at the ground, his eyebrows twisted together, "I'm just scared that something will happen to her and ruin our chances."

"Right," Namine knew Roxas well from having lived with him since they were small. She was the one that cursed him, after all. Still, she wasn't going to argue with him. Instead, she finished mopping up Axel's blood and headed towards the small area that was their kitchen.

"I'll finish cleaning, I think that you need sleep," Roxas started, and Namine glanced over at him.

"And you said you weren't kind," Roxas paused for a second before she smiled and said, "Thank you, Roxas."

She left the rags in the sink, and headed back towards her room, while wondering what exactly Roxas was thinking. She thought she knew him best, but there were still things that she didn't understand about him. She wondered if she couldn't get close because she was the one that cursed him. She always told herself that that had to be it.

Now that Roxas had cursed someone else, he was doing the same. He was making sure that Kairi would hate him for what he did. For what he had to do for all their sakes. She entered her room with a heavy heart.

Changing into a night gown, she climbed into bed, and looked over at her door. She could hear Roxas cleaning, humming a soft tune to himself. Roxas had a beautiful voice, although he rarely sang or even hummed. He usually did it when he thought that there was no one listening.

She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling in the dark room. She could only stare at it for a long time while Roxas hummed in the kitchen, thinking. If Vanitas knew where Kairi was, then that would pose a threat. Still, if he had gotten in once, she knew that Master Yen Sid would sense that there was a dark presence that had entered. At least, she hoped so. For all their sakes.

She felt herself sigh. It was going to be near impossible to sleep despite how tired she was. She was far too worried about what was going to happen now. She wanted to do her best to help, but all she could do was heal people or curse them. Sometimes, she could even mess with their memories.

That was the last thing she ever wanted to do. Cursing people and ruining their memories were awful acts. Things that she had done before in the past. Things that she would never forgive herself for.

Forcing her eyes shut, she tried her best to sleep. Still, she knew that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N: Hello! Author here! Just wanted to quickly say thank you for the reviews/follows/favs! It really keeps me going!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kairi didn't sleep well that night. Instead, she sat on her bed, and looked up at the ceiling. Light was starting to filter into her room from the rising sun. Her mind was drowning in thoughts. She knew that there were dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping. Yet, she could only think of the meeting she had instead of sleep.

She pulled her knees to her chest, wondering what was going to happen to her.

As she did so, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from the hall outside her room. They were slow, meticulous steps. She would know them anywhere. Master Yen Sid was approaching her room, which was rare. He usually ignored her, and during the few times she had asked him to train her, he had turned her away.

She was simply someone that lived in his house. A stranger. She was good friends with Riku and Sora, but she knew nothing about the Master that lived with them. All she knew was that he once trained a king that had disappeared a long, long time ago.

Her tired eyes dragged themselves towards the door as there was a brisk knock. She didn't want to tell him that he could come in, but she didn't think that the Master wanted to be left waiting.

"Yes?" she called.

The door slipped open, and Master Yen Sid was staring at her. He had large, beady eyes which had always unnerved her ever since he was a kid. Some said that he was a wizard by nature, and that was the reason he had once been chosen by a blade. Now, though, he stayed away from most practices of the blade, and focused solely on his magic. He was truly a Master of a different kind.

Kairi found it hard to believe that this man was the one that was afraid of the mysterious Master in the woods. She examined him and his large build, and then her eyes went to his expression. She nearly reeled back as she saw the anger in his eyes.

She had done something wrong.

Hesitantly, she asked, "What is it Master Yen Sid?"

His eyes narrowed as they looked over at her. She nearly cowered away, but kept her back straight. She didn't know what she had done. Perhaps he had heard of what had happened with Master Eraqus and was here to scold her. He was the one that didn't want to train her, although others seemed to share the same sentiment.

"Kairi," he said. He had a deep, gravelly voice, and it echoed through the room, "What have you been doing, lately?"

She swallowed, "I'm sorry… I just wanted to train, that's why I went to Master Eraqus."

Master Yen Sid walked into the room. He looked at her for a long moment, then said, "I am not talking about going to Master Eraqus. I would have expected you to do that sooner. I'm talking about the woods."

Kairi felt herself freeze. She knew that it was a dead giveaway that she was guilty. Her eyes flickered up to Master Yen Sid whose gaze hung upon her. It was like he was deciding her judgement.

"I'm sorry," her voice was soft, "I never should have gone."

"What happened there?" Master Yen Sid demanded, and Kairi looked up at him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to be taken away permanently by the wolf. By Roxas. So instead she stared at him with a plea in her eyes.

The last thing she wanted to do was lie, yet she knew that it was the only way to make sure that she didn't end up taken away, "There were monsters…"

"The heartless," Master Yen Sid said, "They are beings that dwell within those woods. They have been inching closer and closer to our town's borders. We haven't told the townsfolk in fear of starting chaos. They're the reason we've been training and sending people away."

"They don't talk about it anymore," Kairi whispered, mostly to herself, "The ones that come back."

"While it may be traumatic for some, it is necessary to keep this town safe for years to come," Yen Sid's voice was even and unfeeling. It made anger sprout from her heart.

"What about Sora and Riku? Are you saying that they're going to be sent off into the woods as well?" Kairi couldn't muster the same bravery she had when talking to the wolf. Instead, her voice barely managed to raise above a whisper. All she felt was disbelief as the realization finally dawned upon her.

She was stunned that she didn't realized it before. The ones that were always with her and by her side were suddenly going to be taken away one day and forced to fight things that left others scarred.

"It's what they're meant to do," Master Yen Sid told her.

Something wet started to fall down her cheeks, and she realized then that she was crying. Whether it was from all the stress from what she had gone through in the last couple of days or knowing that her friends would be taken away from her, she didn't know. She looked up at Master Yen Sid, eyebrows scrunched up, and a frown on her face.

"You're training people to be sent out to die," she managed through her tears. Her voice was wobbly, despite her best to keep it even.

Master Yen Sid wasn't fazed, "Death is a part of war. If we don't, then the entire town will be swallowed up, and countless lives will be taken. Would you prefer that fate?"

Kairi didn't respond. Instead, she curled up on her bed and buried her face into her knees. She felt sobs bubble from her throat, but she tried to swallow them down. She was not this weak. She would find a way to be trained. She would not allow them to take her friends away.

Perhaps those were all pipe dreams, but it made her calm down. She would find a way, even if it meant doing things she had never dreamed of doing before. Even if it meant facing the woods. Maybe then, Master Yen Sid would listen to her.

"What if there's another way?" Kairi asked as she lifted her head up and wiped away her tears, "What if there is another way to stop them?"

Master Yen Sid didn't respond. Instead, he turned away and said, "Don't enter the woods ever again."

With that, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Kairi stared at where he had been, and felt herself crumble. Collapsing on the bed, she stared up at the ceiling and wondered why things were after her. Perhaps if she had mentioned the hunter, maybe they would have considered letting her do what she needed to do.

She was a walking target. She wondered how they couldn't realize that. Especially Master Yen Sid. He should have sensed the darkness that had entered this very room last night.

Yet, he acted like he knew nothing of the sort. He didn't even mention it. Nor did he ask if she was ok. She peered up at the ceiling for a long time before she rolled onto her side and buried her face into her pillow. She was more stressed then she had ever been, and she didn't know what to do about it.

Her eyes closed, and she felt herself start to drift off. All the events had finally caught up to her, and she was exhausted. However, before she could sleep, there was another knock on the door. Surprised, she sat back up and called out for the person to come in.

Opening the door, Riku walked inside and looked over at where Kairi was. He noticed the bags under her eyes and the way her body was slouched, and he started, "Kairi, are you ok?"

"Why?" she asked, neither confirming nor denying it. She didn't think it mattered since the evidence was written all over her face.

"Something was here last night… In this tower. When I asked Master Yen Sid about it, he said not to dwell on it," Riku walked into the room and behind him, Sora also peered into the room. His usual cheery smile was gone, and he looked at them with the most serious expression she had ever seen him wear.

"Riku's right! Something's going on," Sora stated as he walked in the room to stand beside Riku.

Kairi got up from her bed, looking between the two boys. They both looked at her with equally serious expressions and she said, "I sensed it, too."

"I don't know why Master Yen Sid is refusing to tell us anything, but we need to find out who or what was here last night and how they got past the wards on the tower," Riku's face was serious. His eyes stared directly at Kairi, as if waiting for her to say something. It was almost as if, for once, she was invited to help with something.

She nodded, "Have you heard of the hunter?"

Riku paused, as if thinking about it, while Sora froze. Kairi's eyes honed in on him, as Riku stated, "It sounds familiar, but I don't know much about it."

Sora relaxed his expression, and nodded, "Yeah, I'm the same as Riku. I've heard of him, but I've never seen him nor know much about him."

Sora was always a poor liar in Kairi's eyes. She could always tell when he was holding something back or lying. She decided to let it slide for now, and resigned to asking him about it later, when they were alone. He had to have some sort of information that he could tell her.

"How do you think we can figure out what Master Yen Sid is hiding?" she asked, and the two boys glanced at each other.

"We'll have to figure that out as we go along." Riku started, "We just need to find somewhere to start looking or researching."

"I'll look around," Kairi started, but Riku quickly shook his head.

"No, you're the most obvious one to be snooping around right now. You're the one that's been demanding to be trained and told things," Riku stated. Kairi wanted to protest, but she knew that Riku was right. She was the most obvious. Her and all of the things that she'd been up to in the past few days made her stick out. Not to mention that she had also spent a lot of time in her past doing the same thing. She had always been curious about the world around her. Now, she hated that curiosity more than ever. It's what got her in this mess in the first place.

"Me and Sora will figure it out later. I have training right now, and I'm sure that Sora has to do something in town," Riku said, and Sora nodded.

"Alright," Kairi said. She glanced between Sora and Riku. When her eyes met Sora, he glanced away, and she knew that she needed to ask, "Hey Sora, by the way, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Ah, ok," Sora said, and for a moment he looked perplexed. She wondered if Sora thought that he was actually good at lying. She should inform him one day that he was horrible at it by nature. There was something about him that made it impossible for him to lie well. Or maybe it was because she grew up with. She didn't know.

It didn't matter. What mattered was that she needed to ask him what was wrong.

"I'll leave you two to it then," Riku said, and smirked at Sora before walking out of the room. Sora frowned, before turning to look back at Kairi. Their blue eyes met and Kairi frowned at him. At her narrowed eyes, Sora blinked, as if wondering what it was that she wanted.

"Sora," she started, "Do you know something about the hunter?"

Sora went very still, his eyes going wide, "W-what? I told you, I've only heard of him…"

"You don't have to lie to me Sora, we're best friends," It sort of hurt a little that he thought that lying was necessary in the first place, "If you know something, you can tell me."

He paused for a long time. He examined her as if wondering if suddenly he could really trust her, and Kairi wondered what it was that he was hiding. Usually he wasn't ever this serious. He was friendly and happy-go-lucky and it took a lot for him to get serious. It must have been something that was important.

Finally, Sora sighed and said, "I don't know anything about the hunter, but I feel like… I feel like something is following me."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked, her voice going quiet. She didn't like the idea that someone or something was following her best friend.

"I don't know," Sora relented, "Maybe I've just been paranoid with all the attacks by the wolf lately. It's been really bothering me. I know how I seem most of the time, but I worry just as much as anyone else over this situation."

Kairi nodded. Just like anyone, Sora had multiple layers. Still, it felt strange to hear him say that he was paranoid. He didn't seem the type. Usually, she relied on his bravery to keep her sane, along with Riku's. Knowing that he could crumble just as fast as her was… strange.

"I can sense something dark following me," he went on, "And it reminded me of something I was told as a child. That every light casts a shadow. Maybe there's one following me."

Looking at his grim expression, Kairi didn't know what to say. Being at a loss for words, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her. Offering a comforting smile, she started to speak.

"I understand," she found herself saying, "I always feel like there's something hanging over my head lately. Something that I can't shake. That's why I want to fight this time. But no one will let me and I'm scared that one day I'll be in a situation and I can't defend myself."

"I'm sorry Kai," he said, "But me and Riku will protect you! We'll do our best, alright? I know that you don't want to be protected, but until we convince Master Yen Sid, we'll do our best. Maybe we can even sneak in a few more lessons on self-defense."

Kairi knew basic self-defense, but she was glad that Sora was at least considering helping her train. So many people had denied it automatically. That fact made her glad to have Sora as a friend. And not just a friend, but her closest friend. There was a closeness there with Riku, but Sora always had her back in ways that Riku didn't.

"Thank you," she smiled, and Sora's cheerful grin was back on his face.

"If I sense anything weird again, I'll be sure to tell you. I promise!" he smiled and started to walk backwards out the room, "Anyways, I have to get to town. Later Kairi!"

The two waved goodbye, and she watched as Sora bounded down the hallway before she closed the doors.

Maybe now she could finally get some sleep.

/

Sora started to walk the path towards the town, when he noticed someone familiar walking towards the woods. Pausing in his tracks, he wondered what Riku was doing, before he shrugged it off and continued walking.

From time to time, they were sent into the woods as part of training. Since one day they would be sent into the deepest parts of it, it was good to try to get as familiar with it as they could. With that, he brushed it off and headed on his way towards the town.

He didn't sense anything wrong. In fact, it was probably the most peaceful day the town had seen in a while. There were no festivals going on, nor was there a sense of dread hanging in the air. The guards were lax, and everything felt normal.

Perhaps it was the normalness that gave Sora a short pause.

He didn't know why, but it faded quickly as one of the guards asked him if he was just going to continue standing there. He blinked, then shot an apologetic smile at them before entering the town. Everything was fine. Peaceful.

It was just a normal day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was not a normal day, Aqua came to find out.

She was in the training room helping Ven out with some of his techniques, especially when it came to dodging. The boy was fast, but he was reckless in the way that he moved. She supposed that was because he was younger than her, and still had room and time to grow. They were about done, when Aqua suddenly sensed that they were being watched.

It made her lose her focus, and Ven suddenly flew towards her and knocked her blade out of her hand. She stumbled back with a slight gasp, feeling the sting in her hand. They weren't using real blades, of course, but the practice ones still hurt when they connected with the skin.

"Hah!" Ven cried out in victory, having been the first time he had one upped his superior. While it was because Aqua had been distracted by something, she had to admit that Ven was defiantly improving. Every hard day of training made him stronger and more agile. Soon, him and his blade would become one like it had for her and Terra.

"You've been doing a lot better," Aqua praised, and Ven gave her a lopsided grin.

"I've been training a little extra. I want to be a master, too, ya know? Not to mention I can't wait to watch you and Terra fight against each other and become masters," Ven had a cheery air around him, not at all noticing that there seemed to be something watching them.

Aqua laughed while she glanced around the room. That was when her eyes landed on Master Eraqus. She thought that he must have entered as quietly as he normally did when he wanted to watch them train without interrupting. Following her gaze, Ven also looked over at Master Eraqus.

"Master Eraqus," Aqua greeted formally, and Master Eraqus smiled.

"You're always so formal Aqua, there's no need. I think of you all as my children," at that she smiled. This was the only family that she had ever known, and she was always glad to hear that from him.

"I think it's time for him to start training with me today," Master Eraqus stated, and he turned towards Aqua, "You should go hang out with Terra. He's resting in the gardens around the estate."

"Yes, I think I will," she said and looked over at Ven. She ruffled his hair as he protested and said, "I'll see you later. Good luck."

Even though the Master was kind, he did not go easy on them while training. The first time she and Terra had ever fought against him, they were sore for days. They had lost every single time, yet the Master told them to keep going. He told them that the enemy wouldn't care if they were exhausted or not.

Sometimes, Aqua didn't even know what the enemy was.

She knew about the heartless in the woods. Master Eraqus had told her and Terra about them since they were approaching the time of becoming Masters themselves. Ven didn't know much about it, although he had overheard them talking about it once and insisted on knowing what they were talking about.

Yet, the idea of monsters in the woods felt so distant. She had never seen any herself, despite the stories that had been told to her. She wondered what they looked like exactly, especially since she had been told they came in many different forms.

She had to shake this idea away as she headed out of the training room and towards the gardens.

The gardens were what made the estate stand out. In the darkened and dense woods everything was dreary, however, in the garden there was color. Everything was vibrant and there was no such thing as monsters.

As she entered the gardens, she saw no trace of Terra. Her eyes scanned the place, and she thought that she saw someone entering the woods. Wondering if that person was Terra, she hesitantly walked along the garden path and towards the woods.

When she peered inside, she saw no trace of anyone. For a second she thought it was just her imagination, when she heard a noise.

"Terra?" she called, walking a little further into the woods.

She glanced behind her, and wondered if it was such a good idea to go into the woods alone, but she thought that if she didn't go too far then she should be fine. Repeating that to herself, she wandered a bit farther in, calling out Terra's name.

"Terra? Are you in here?" she asked, wandering a little deeper inside. As she did so, she caught movement in the corner of her eye and she turned, "Terra? Is that you?"

What awaited her was not Terra.

It was what looked like a young man in a strange suit that covered his whole body. He was leaning casually against a tree, swinging around a blade. It was similar to the ones that she, Terra, and Ven wielded and she felt her eyes widened.

The young man wore a mask that covered his whole head, and she couldn't see his face or features at all. Yet, she could swear that he was staring at her as he kicked himself off the tree and walked towards her. The blade was still firmly gripped in his hand.

"Well, well, well, the blue jay flew out of her nest," the voice had a cruelty to it, and Aqua instantly summoned her blade. The young man let out a wicked laugh, "Do you really think you're going to be able to protect yourself against me? Do you know how many have tried?"

"Who are you?" Aqua demanded as she raised her blade. That didn't deter him at all. If anything, it only seemed to make him more amused then he was.

He continued walking until his chest was directly in front of the sword. Aqua didn't dare move as his hand rose and grabbed onto it. The fibers of his suit cut open, and blood started to fall as he held the blade tight. He didn't seem like he was at all fazed.

"Did you know you can corrupt a heart?" he said, disregarding her question. She didn't respond as her eyebrows drew together and she glared at him, "It's rather amusing. I've done it before. Payback, really, for what was done to me." He laughed, "I wonder if I can do it to someone who's filled with so much disgusting light."

Aqua yanked the blade back, effectively slicing through his hand. Blood dripped from it, but he only laughed again. Brandishing her sword, she watched as the mysterious figure raised his own. She had just been thinking how she had never been in a real fight, and now she was in one.

"Are you going to just stand there?" he mocked, "Then I'll make the first move."

She dodged to the side as his blade swung at her. Skidding on the moist ground, she raised her blade and ran forward. Quickly, he parried the attack. The two were close, and Aqua couldn't see a face under the darkness of the mask. As if sensing she was looking for his face, he shoved her away using his blade. She hopped backwards to keep her balance, and he charged.

He was just as fast as she was. It was nearly impossible to dodge some of his attacks. Not to mention, there was fear in her mind. It made her heart pound and her attacks clumsy. She didn't know what to do.

There was never any fear of her life when she trained. But here, it seemed he was intent on killing her.

She breathed heavily as the two fought. The clank of metal against metal reached her ears. It was the only sound in the oddly quiet forest. With all her might, she surged forward with her blade, and he suddenly laughed as he dodged to the side of her and knocked her sword out of her hands.

Before she could run towards it, he drove his sword through her shoulder and pinned her to a tree.

She gasped out in pain. She had never felt pain quiet like this, and it made stars appear in her vision.

There was amusement in his voice as he said, "You still have a lot of training to do. No wonder so many of you die out here."

"Who are you?" she choked out, and in response he twisted the blade in her shoulder. She cried out in pain, and he tilted his head.

"The hunter," was his response, "And while I'd love to kill you, I need you to be my eyes."

"What?" Aqua asked, but her eyes widened as darkness started to swirl around his feat. He took a step towards her, and tilted her head up.

"Every person has darkness in their heart. I'll just be utilizing yours," he said, and the darkness rose up and swirled around her eyes. It blinded her and she tried to move, but the sword kept her pinned to the tree. She wanted to yell for help, but there was no voice in her throat to do so. She didn't know who the hunter was, but he was powerful enough to use the darkness. He was powerful enough to do this to her.

She felt him yank out the sword and the darkness disappeared. She blinked up at him before she felt herself collapse. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move. The warmth of her blood seeped into her clothes from her gaping wound.

From above her, she heard him mutter, "Pathetic."

She gritted her teeth and tried to get up, not wanting to be called pathetic by this person, but she could hardly move. It wasn't just the wound, it was whatever he had done to her with the darkness. Her eyes fell shut and she felt her mind slowly shut down.

"Don't die on me," he ordered as she heard footsteps start to walk away from her, "Or else I'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble."

She wondered why he would be in trouble before she finally lost consciousness.

/

"Aqua…? Aqua!" she heard a voice call out her name and she opened her eyes. In front of her she saw Ven staring down at her with worry in his eyes. Terra and Master Eraqus were behind him, and their eyes held an equal amount of concern.

Her shoulder was killing her. She barely remembered what had happened to her. All she remembered was going into the woods looking for Terra. After that, everything was blank. She had no idea how she ended up the way that she was. She knew that something had attacked her, that much was obvious. She just didn't remember who or what did it.

"Terra found you in the woods," Ven started, "He heard something, and when he went towards the woods, he saw you lying there."

"He found me…?" Aqua looked over at Terra and gave him a grateful smile, "Thank you. I don't remember what happened but, I'm glad that you found me. I probably would have died."

"Please rest up Aqua," Master Eraqus said, and the other two boys nodded.

"Yes, I need to be prepared for the Mark of Mastery exam," she started, and Master Eraqus seemed to stiffen slightly.

The other two boys didn't notice, but she felt her heart drop, "I am allowed to enter the Mark of Mastery exam right? It's only a wound."

"Terra, Ven," Master Eraqus said sternly and both boys' backs straightened.

"Yes master," the two echoed.

"Please leave me alone with Aqua for the time being. We have something important to talk about," at that Ven looked at Master Eraqus.

"Master Eraqus-," he started, but Terra quickly cut him off.

"Let's go Ven. This is between Aqua and Master Eraqus," at Terra's words, Ven looked over at him with a frown, but ended up reluctantly following him out of the small infirmary room.

As the two left and the door was closed behind them, Master Eraqus took a seat at a chair by a desk. The room itself was small, with only the bed, a cabinet filled with medical supplies, and the desk and chair that Master Eraqus sat at.

Aqua had rarely been here. There were times when Ven had been messing around in the woods and twisted his ankle or something and Aqua had to attend to him, but that was really it. This was the first time that any of them had gone through something major.

"What's wrong, Master?" she asked him, and he sighed as he placed he rubbed his face with his heads. He looked more exhausted than usual, and Aqua didn't know why. Perhaps it was because he was worried about her, or perhaps it was because she wouldn't be able to take the Mark of Mastery exam.

"Do you remember what happened to you in the woods?" he asked, and Aqua shook her head.

"No, I remember nothing that happened. Why?" she asked. She knew that she should have been more concerned about the fact that she couldn't remember, yet she was more worried about the exam. This was what she had trained her entire life to do. She was an orphan like many of the kids that were trained in town. She owned her master this much for taking her in.

Master Eraqus was silent for a moment, before he sighed and looked her in the eyes, "You can't take the Mark of Mastery exam because something in the woods tainted you."

"Tainted me?" she asked. Master Eraqus nodded.

"Yes. There is a darkness that surrounds you now. That makes you susceptible to corruption, and in turn, to evil. I can't allow you to enter the exam while you're like this," he stated. Her eyes widened, and she placed a shaky hand over her heart.

Every heart had darkness, she knew. Yet, for her to now contain darkness that originated from the woods was worrisome. More so than worrisome, it was scary and dangerous. She didn't really know how to react.

"What… happened to me?" she asked, and Master Eraqus shook his head.

"Only you hold the answer to that, and whatever did this to you. Unfortunately, I didn't see what happened, nor did Terra and Ven." He looked at the space behind her, and he spoke softly, "I'm sorry I failed you."

"No!" Aqua said quickly, trying to push away her fear and disappointment, "This isn't your fault. You're the reason why I have a home. You took me in as a child and trained me and took care of me. You've given me everything. If anything, I'm the one that has failed you Master Eraqus."

"I'm sorry Aqua. Once we find a way to let the darkness recede from your heart, then you'll be able to take the Mark of Mastery exam. Until then, however, let yourself heal, and figure out how to free yourself from the tendrils of evil," Master Eraqus said and stood up.

Aqua looked up and watched as he headed towards the door. The conversation was over, and there was nothing that she could do to fix what had happened. She had been cursed, in a way. Just like the girl, Kairi, who was the Princess of Light.

Carefully laying back as Master Eraqus left the room, Aqua stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. It looked like she was going to bedridden for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"One of Master Eraqus's pupils was attacked," Sora, Riku, and Kairi all fell silent as Master Yen Sid entered the dining room with those words. It was around dinner time, and the three had been talking and goofing around, which had made Kairi feel instantly better than she had that morning. However, now she felt the uncomfortable feeling creep back in from before. Her eyes stared at Master Yen Sid, wide and alert.

"Who was it?" Sora instantly asked, concern written on his face. Master Yen Sid looked over at him, then looked over at Kairi, then Riku. He was silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether he should tell them or not, when he finally spoke again.

"Aqua. Unfortunately, due to this unforeseen event, she will not be able to take her Mark of Mastery Exam," Master Yen Sid told them.

"Can't she heal from it though?" Kairi couldn't help but ask. She suddenly wished she didn't as his eyes trained on her.

"Not all wounds can be healed," was all he said, then returned his gaze to his two pupils, "I want you two to be careful and not wander into the woods. Especially you, Riku."

"Ok Master Yen Sid," Riku's expression gave nothing away, yet the look that Sora shot him made her wonder why that felt like it was targeted to Riku specifically.

"Good," Master Yen Sid stated, and with that said he turned and walked out of the room. Kairi watched him go. Master Yen Sid was someone that only interacted with them when he needed to. That was how he had always been.

That meant that whatever was going on was serious. She knew that, typically, they weren't supposed to go into the woods alone, anyways. It was better if they went in a large group, much like the night that Kairi had gone into the woods. The reason why she had been cursed was probably because she had gone in alone in the first place. But there was something else besides that. As long as one didn't stray too far into the woods, then they were fine. The edges were normally safe since it was close to the town. Not to mention that people who studied the blade like Riku and Sora wouldn't have a problem going inside.

Her mind was whirling as Sora turned towards Riku, "So, why were you in the woods today anyways?"

He said this nonchalant. Yet, it was enough to make Riku snap his head around to look at him. Kairi watched the exchange, and Sora leaned back in his chair at the table.

"You saw me?" Riku asked, and Sora nodded. Something haunted entered his eyes then, as he replied, "I sensed something dark in the woods. It was heading towards the town. I was trying to see if I could see it, but there was nothing. It might have been the same thing that attacked Aqua."

"You think so?" Sora asked, and Riku nodded.

"It felt like it. Unless there was something else going on in the woods. I don't know, but it was weird. I think we should follow Master Yen Sid's advice and stay out of the woods. He probably sensed what I sensed as well."

"It seems that the darkness is getting closer and closer to the town," Kairi started, and Riku nodded.

"Yeah, it seems so," Riku turned towards Sora, "We have a lot of work to do. From figuring out what was in the tower last night to why the darkness of the woods is slowly reaching towards the town." His eyes darted to Kairi, "You should be careful, Kairi."

"I can handle myself," Kairi stated, and she wondered what she needed to do to prove it. Everyone seemed to have so little faith in her that she could handle anything. Yet, maybe they were right considering she got herself cursed by the wolf himself.

That made her wonder when she'd see him again. She could still see his eyes staring at her, and feel his teeth sink into her wrist. Without thinking, her hand encircled her wrist, and she wondered how long she would be able to keep the wolf a secret.

If the wolf came to visit her again, she thought that the occupants of the tower would have to noticed that something was amiss. She told herself that, yet, they had only sensed one presence last night, and not the wolf's. Was it because his was different?

They said that he used to be the brother of Ventus, which meant that at some point in time he was a normal boy. Now that he was cursed, that had to mean that it simply twisted him into something else. Perhaps it didn't fill him with enough darkness to be sensed.

At least, from far away. It was probably the same as a normal curse. One could only tell when they were in the cursed one's vicinity. That made sense, now that she thought of it. No matter how terrible the curse was, it was still treated like any regular curse.

She wondered if Ventus knew that he had a brother, or that said brother was still alive and well. She knew that he probably heard of what the townsfolk said, even if some of it was said behind his back. Still, the few times that she saw him running about town, he looked as cheery as ever. He was almost as cheerful as Sora was.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, she barely heard Riku say, "I'm not saying that you can't. I just don't want anything to happen to you. I'm sure Master Yen Sid and Sora feel the same. That's all."

"I know," Kairi sighed, then got up from the table. The meal that they had been eating before Master Yen Sid entered the room had been long forgotten, "It's just frustrating is all. Do you know what it feels like to want to do something, but everyone tells you no?"

Sora leaned forward in his chair slightly, and peered up at her, "That doesn't make you a damsel in distress either. Don't beat yourself up, Kai. Just keep that dagger with you at all times and remember your self-defense lessons."

"That's not the point," Kairi spoke softly to herself so the other two boys wouldn't hear. She didn't say anything more to them as she left the dining room and headed to her quarters. She felt tired since she hadn't gotten much sleep, and she decided that at the very least she needed to get some rest.

The moment she entered her room, she collapsed on her bed. Her eyes stared tiredly up at the ceiling, and she let them drift shut. Images of the past days flashed in her head, and she wondered what it was that was going to happen to her. What was going to happen to the town, and what Master Yen Sid's secret was. There were so many things that she didn't know, and it was starting to make her more and more anxious.

There had to have been more of a reason why she wasn't allowed to train. She knew Master Yen Sid, and the way she was now was simply a burden. However, whenever she tried to think about why, she came up blank.

Maybe Master Yen Sid's secret had something to do with it.

That felt like a long shot, but it was worth a try. At this point, she had nothing to lose. Except that wasn't true. Her life was now on the line. There was the wolf that could take her away at any second and the hunter.

Rolling onto her side, she wondered how she got into such a mess. Her eyes opened and she stared at the wall across from her. Her eyes flickered over to the window, then. She noticed that nothing was different about the woods, despite what the others were saying. It was as deceptive as always.

After a long moment, she let her eyes closed again and pulled a blanket over her. She didn't bother changing out of her day clothes. She was too tired to even get up again. All she could do was slowly drift off to sleep.

/

"Roxas," Namine started as she entered the living room of the cottage. Roxas was lying on the couch, his arm over his face as if he was thinking about something. Whatever it was must have been stressing him, but that wasn't anything new.

"Namine… what's going to happen now?" Roxas asked, "I heard that the hunter made his first move. Is that what you were going to tell me?"

Namine nodded at that, and she looked over at him for a long time. He didn't make a move to look at her. Instead, he stayed in the position that he was in and removed his arm from his face. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling above him.

"Yes. I heard from Axel that he saw him in the woods near Master Eraqus's estate. He was attacking one of the pupils. He couldn't jump in in time," she paused, her soft voice trailing off, "What are we going to do now that they have eyes on the inside?"

Roxas glanced over at Namine then. There wasn't any emotion in his eyes. Instead, they were dead, "We can't bring her here, no matter what Diz wants." Roxas stated, "It's more dangerous for her here then there."

"They can't protect her, Roxas. Especially against something that was never supposed to exist," at that Roxas gave a soft but cold laugh.

"We were never meant to exist," Roxas said before he returned his gaze to the ceiling. He got up suddenly, and that was when there was a sound. The sound of slow and deliberate footsteps.

Eyes widening, Namine looked towards the door while Roxas jumped up. They both stood at attention as the door unlocked and slowly swung open. Standing on the other side was a man who was wrapped in red bandages.

"Are you defying orders Roxas?" Diz said, and Roxas shot a glance at Namine who looked away ashamed. It was a test to see if Roxas would side with Diz or not.

"Diz," Roxas greeted coldly. Despite the fact that he had saved his life, supposedly, when he wandered into the woods as a kid, Roxas hated the man. There was something about him that made his blood boil, other than the fact that he was the reason that Roxas had turned into the wolf. He was the reason why Roxas was hunted and why the townspeople hated him. Roxas hated it, especially when all he wanted to be was a normal teenage boy.

Diz gave a laugh that was equally as cold. To him, Namine and Roxas where things that were to be disposed of. They were necessary casualties for saving the people in the town. Unfortunately for him, Roxas didn't plan on dying any time soon.

"There's no need to be so excited Roxas," Diz said as he shut the door behind him and strode into the room. His very presence filled up the entire space and Roxas stared at him silently, while Namine kept her eyes trained on the ground.

"It's been awhile since you've showed up. Is it because of what's going on with the hunter?" Roxas asked, and Diz smiled. It wasn't a friendly one.

"I'm glad you've already been made aware. I was going to ask you to bring the girl to me, however, since you seem unwilling, I'm sure that Axel would do a better job," Roxas froze at that, and he felt his hands fall to his side and bunch up into fists.

"You really like to make me hate you," Roxas stated through gritted teeth. Diz wasn't fazed by these words. Instead, he looked towards Namine, and started to speak.

"Prepare a room. It will only be temporary, since what Roxas said is true. It is dangerous for her here. However, if we move her to and from here to the tower, everything should be fine," there wasn't any concern in Diz's voice.

"What happens when they notice she's gone?" Roxas asked, and Diz shrugged.

"I'll leave you to deal with the consequences. The townsfolk seem to think highly of you already," Roxas didn't say another word as Diz started to walk towards Namine.

"Now, I think the two of us have something important to discuss. Come along, there's no need to worry," Diz said. He was always providing a false sense of comfort. It was as if lying would make them do what it was that he wanted.

He clearly didn't understand how people worked. Or maybe he just didn't think of them as people.

It didn't sit well with Roxas to kidnap a girl. Axel might have done it, that much was true. He would have justified it with the fact that it was necessary for their lives. Of course, Roxas knew Axel well enough to know that he would have felt just as guilty as anyone here for dragging her to this place.

Before Diz entered Namine's room, Roxas turned around and said, "When do you want me to get her?"

"When I'm gone. I can't have her knowing I'm involved in all this," with that said, he entered Namine's pure white room, and the small blonde girl gave him a hopeless smile before entering the room where Diz was.

Roxas could only watch as the door was shut behind them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

There was something vulnerable about a person that was asleep. They were unaware of the world, and they couldn't defend themselves if they were attacked. Despite how unflinching Kairi could be sometimes, she was no different.

Roxas couldn't hate Diz anymore than he did in that moment. He had promised himself that he wouldn't get her any more involved than necessary. It was hard, though, considering who he was forced to work for.

Diz was a man that was once an average villager, but had become too obsessed with what was in the woods. He became a part of it. That was what led to him becoming something akin to a madman. One that was rueful of his mistakes and would do anything to return to how he used to be.

Now, because of his mistakes, he was dragging other innocents into his mess.

Roxas knew that he shouldn't continue watching Kairi sleep. If she woke up then she'd probably yell at him and think he was a creep, if she didn't already. Still, he was reluctant to bring her back, but he couldn't return without her. He hated that. All he wanted was for there to be simple solutions, as impossible as that was.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, and reached out towards her right as the door to her room slammed open.

Sora and Roxas both froze as their eyes met.

"You're-," Sora started, just as the noise jolted Kairi awake.

Her eyes widened as she noticed that Roxas was there, and Roxas quickly scooped her up from the bed right as Sora summoned his blade.

"Let her go, wolf," Sora yelled as he charged, but Roxas quickly summoned the darkness that consumed both him and Kairi. All Sora hit was empty air.

Kairi yelled out Sora's name as she tried to get away from Roxas, but when the blond let her go, she tumbled onto the floor of the cottage, not the floor of her room.

She scrambled up, eyes wide and looked around as if hoping that maybe she wasn't where she thought she was. Roxas took a step back, thinking of reaching out a hand to help her up, but knowing that she'd only smack it away. So instead, he waited for her to yell at him, to demand to be taken back. Ask him for things that he couldn't give.

"W-why?" Kairi's voice was broken this time, yet there was still a heavy amount of anger tied in. She scrambled to her feet and spun around to face Roxas, "Why did you take me here this time? You said if I didn't tell anyone then…"

"That's null and void," Roxas said easily, "Since Sora knows."

"He knows because you were there!" Kairi snapped, "No… he doesn't know! He knows that you were in my room, he doesn't know that I'm cursed! He doesn't know that I saw you that night in the woods and he doesn't know that you let me escape."

Roxas remained silent as Kairi stormed up to him. He could sense Namine behind him, and knew that she was watching timidly. He didn't really blame her for anything. It wasn't like she would be able to stand up to Diz if even Axel couldn't.

"Take me back," Kairi demanded at Roxas's unmoving expression.

"No," Roxas said and Kairi all but lunged at him, no longer afraid of the wolf in front of her.

The two went tumbling to the ground, and Kairi pinned him down while yanking on his shirt collars. Her eyes held fire, and she looked like she was ready to burn down the entire cottage if that was what it took for her to go home. She was a lot stronger then she was described to be, and a lot braver as well.

"I will leave on my own if I have to," Kairi stated, "So take me back."

"I won't let you," Roxas stated, and Kairi's grip on his shirt tightened.

"Kairi, please stop…," Namine started, "It isn't Roxas's fault that he had to bring you here."

Kairi didn't take her eyes off of him as she asked, "Then who was it?"

"Our leader," Roxas said, and he couldn't keep his tone even as the hatred rolled off his tongue. He would have done anything to end Diz's life if they didn't need him so bad.

Gritting her teeth, Kairi got off Roxas and walked towards the door of the cottage. She stopped right in front of it. Roxas watched her, and he knew that she knew that it would be impossible for her to get back to where the village was alive. Not to mention, she didn't know which direction to go, or what path to take.

She was a sheep in a wolf's den.

"When can I go back?" Kairi asked, and Roxas glanced at Namine who looked at him. There was silence for a long time.

Finally, Roxas said, "I don't know."

Kairi turned around, and Roxas realized that she had silently started crying, "Then you're going to kill me, like the townspeople. Or perhaps I'll be cursed instead. Really cursed, not just what you did to me. I'll never be able to look Sora and Riku in the eyes again. Never again…"

Her fists were clenched. Roxas sighed and took a small step towards her.

"Like we said before, we need you as you are. We wouldn't harm you or put a curse on you. You're too valuable to do that," Roxas stated, "Besides, none of us have even thought of doing such a thing. I know we're the villains in your eyes, but there are things worse out there than us. You're almost as safe here as you are at the tower. Maybe even safer if the hunter doesn't find you."

"Will you get rid of me after you're done with me?" Kairi asked, and Roxas and Namine glanced at each other.

"You're not the one that will be disposed of," Roxas only said, and Kairi simply looked at him. He hated that expression she wore. It looked so broken that it almost reminded him of when he was first taken back here. He knew that they spoke of taking her back, but if Diz found out that Sora saw him, then Kairi wasn't going to be able to return. Roxas knew that.

It was because if Sora found them, then it was possible that the others would find them. The last thing they needed to deal with were any of the Masters, whether they meant well or not. Plus, they had been guarding Kairi for so long. It was clear that they weren't planning to give her up to people like Roxas and Namine.

"Then… I'll be able to go back?" Kairi sounded like she didn't believe it. As she turned her eyes towards him, they were devoid of hope. The fire that had been there before was starting to smolder out as she realized her situation.

Roxas didn't answer, because he didn't know the answer to that. He didn't know if Diz was going to keep her forever or if he was going to return her once she served her purpose. At the very least, he knew that she wasn't going to end up dying. Not if he could help it.

"Yes, you will," Namine said softly, and Kairi closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.

"I'm not scared of you anymore," she said finally, directing it at Roxas, "Even if you're lying and do end up killing me, I won't be scared. I'm tired of being frightened and scared, especially of you."

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but Kairi went on.

"I hate you," she said, voice devoid of any emotion.

"I'm sure," Roxas said again. It was to be expected, but he still felt a pang in his heart. It was what he deserved. He deserved the hatred of the townsfolk, and he deserved the hatred of the girl in front of him.

With a start, he realized that his own brother was probably the same, if he even considered him his brother at this point. Or if he believed that his wolf was the brother. There was not a single person in the world who cared for him in that moment. He was a pawn for most of the people that didn't hate him, and wanted dead by those who did. His existence was meaningless.

A heavy, stifling silence filled the room. Kairi had fixated her gaze at some point behind Roxas, and Roxas had nothing to say. It was Namine who finally spoke after a moment, her voice cutting through the silence.

"You'll have your own room," Namine said, and Kairi blinked. She looked like she hadn't been expecting that.

"I will?"

"I don't think you trust any of us to lodge with anyone, so yes, you will. It may not be much comfort, but I hope that it will be enough for now," Namine said, and Kairi just nodded silently. Glancing towards Roxas, Namine went on, "I'll show you to your room. We'll leave you alone for now."

Namine turned and beckoned for Kairi to follow. She did after a moment and didn't spare Roxas a glance as she walked past him.

Roxas didn't spare a glance at her, either.

/

The tower was in an uproar.

After Sora had brought news of what he had seen, yelling at the top of his lungs that the wolf had taken Kairi, all the servants, along with Riku and Master Yen Sid, had all stopped what they were doing.

He went straight towards Master Yen Sid out of breath from running, and explained what he had seen. He insisted that he needed to go into the woods to find her, but Master Yen Sid that he wouldn't lose two people under his care in a single day.

However, he did tell Riku and Sora to go into town and tell Master Eraqus what had happened. They nodded, and headed out.

Now they stood before Master Eraqus, who looked horrified at the news.

"She was taken by the wolf?" he said slowly, mostly to himself, "How did the wolf manage to get in without triggering the wards…? There must be something more about him that we don't know yet."

"There was the darkness that he summoned. Maybe he can use that to get in and out of places without triggering anything," Sora started, and Master Eraqus seemed to think about it. His eyes examined the two in front of him.

"We need to get her back as quickly as possible," he stated, before starting to walk out of the room, "I'll tell my pupils what has happened, and I will speak with Master Yen Sid personally. They will not have her for much longer."

"What if she's…" Riku spoke mostly to himself, and Sora whirled around.

"Don't say that! If the wolf wanted her dead, he would have killed her then and there instead of taking her. She has to be alive…" Sora trailed off, and he gritted his teeth. He felt angry, so angry, at himself for letting the wolf take her. For being so useless despite all his years of training. He was useless when it came to helping his own friends.

"She is alive, Sora," Master Eraqus stated, and Sora looked up, "They wouldn't kill something as valuable as her."

"What…?" Sora started, but Master Eraqus left before he could go on.

"Sora," Riku started and Sora glanced over to where Riku was. He looked just as horrible as Sora felt, and his eyes locked onto Sora's, "We have to trust the Masters on this one. However, if they don't really help her, then I know that I won't stand around doing anything. If worse comes to worse, will you find Kairi with me?"

Sora nodded without hesitation, "You don't even have to ask. She's our best friend, I won't let her be taken away that easily."

"Alright," Riku said, "Let's go back and wait for now. We'll see what happens."

"Ok," Sora agreed and the two headed back towards the tower.

/

Outside Master Eraqus's estate, a masked figure was leaning against a tree as information poured into his senses. He had heard the uproar from the tower, and he wanted to know what was going on. He didn't know that his curse on Aqua would come to use this quickly.

He could see and hear everything that she saw and heard, whenever he wished to look through her eyes.

He smirked under the mask as he heard that the wolf had taken Kairi. It was a foolish thing, really. Did they really think that they would be able to hide her from them? He was going to find her and dispose of her the minute that he laid his hands on her.

The woods, as fast and dangerous as they were, would bend to his will. He was born from that darkness, after all. Nothing could hide from him for long. He hadn't had a reason to get rid of the wolf, in fact it had benefitted him greatly as he disposed of people at his master's request. Many had blamed all the people he killed on the wolf.

Sadly, it looked like that couldn't last for much longer, he was going to have to kill the wolf as well. He wasn't going to let her go without a fight. She was of use to them.

He thought that he might be doing her a favor. He almost laughed at that thought. She wouldn't be used if he killed her, and maybe if he was feeling generous it wouldn't be slow death, but a painless one. Only if he was feeling generous though.

He was going to need to report this to his master. He already knew his orders, but it was best not to anger the old man. The last time he did hadn't been pleasant.

With that, he turned on his heel and walked into the forest while the darkness consumed him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"She needs to eat something," Namine murmured as she looked over at the closed door in worry. Her eyebrows were knitted together and her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. Roxas didn't respond as he seemed to be too focused on a journal that was in front of him. Only when Namine gently touched his shoulder did he look up.

"Kairi," Namine started, "She's been locked up in that room for a day, she needs to eat."

Roxas's eyes flickered up towards where the door was at the end of the living room. He was sure that she was listening to them as they spoke, but he couldn't sense much movement in the room. He had sensitive hearing, so he could hear her pacing across the floor that morning. She had done that a lot throughout the day, but at the moment she was silent.

He glanced back at Namine, knowing that she was right, "I doubt that she would come out if we asked her to."

"She'll have to come out eventually," Namine started, "Right…?"

Roxas's eyes flickered down towards the journal in front of him, "Maybe."

Deciding to switch tactics, Namine turned her gaze towards the journal, "Has Axel found any more of them? I'm sure that Diz is getting impatient. He doesn't want this knowledge to fall into anyone else's hands."

"Diz, huh?" Roxas grumbled, and she froze at the anger in his words. Roxas would forever hate the man, she knew. He was the reason everything was as it was. The reason that Roxas hated himself more than anything. Her gaze dropped to her bare feet, while Roxas went on, "Axel has been looking everywhere for them. He's starting to suspect that they're in the hands of the masters."

"Oh," Namine backed off then, knowing that that was probably all she was going to get out of him. With that knowledge, she silently retreated into her own room, casting one last look at the door to Kairi's room.

As she entered her room, she found herself staring at her drawings that lined the walls. Her bed was crammed in a corner and her sketchbook lay on top of the white sheets, opened to the last thing she had been drawing.

It was of a boy that was thought to be the one to save them. Sora, the boy with a blade and a bright light in his heart. But it was found that was not the case. Diz now said that he was only important because his heart easily connected with others. There was a theory that if she ever got close to him, she might be able to use that easily to her advantage. She was a witch, after all. Still, it was too dangerous to get close.

That didn't stop her from wondering what it would be like to talk to him once. She wondered if she realized that the role of hero had been stripped from him. One second he was someone that Diz decided needed to live, the next he was a nuisance. There was no place for Sora in their plans if he became a problem.

Still, he was Master Yen Sid's apprentice. This, coupled with the fact that his heart was so easily connected to others, made him someone that was important to the Master's. Even if he had no place in Diz's plans any longer.

She wondered if she thought about the brown haired boy too much. She always wanted to know more about him. If he was truly as happy as Diz made him out to be. He probably wasn't happy any longer. Not now that they've taken Kairi from him.

She fell back against her bed as she thought. Her mind was always thinking, although she herself was always soft spoken. Normally she poured her thoughts into her drawings. It felt like it was her only form of freedom at times. Yet, she knew that wasn't true. Now that Kairi was here, Namine could see into the girl's memories, and she knew that Diz would want to know everything he could about the girl. That meant that most of her art would be forced to about what Kairi thought about. What she remembered.

Staring up at the ceiling, she suddenly heard a knock, although it didn't sound like it was on her door.

Getting up, she opened the door, wondering where the knock came from, when she saw that Roxas had knocked on Kairi's door. He looked like he didn't expect an answer, and Namine doubted that he would get one, but he still seemed to be trying.

"You need to eat," he called out, "Kairi."

There wasn't a response, and Roxas knocked a bit louder. When there was still no response, he sighed, and Namine closed her door once more, knowing that there wasn't really anything to see. Everything felt like it was at a standstill, even with Kairi in their possession. She hated the fact that they had taken her. She wondered how it felt to be kidnapped from the only thing one's ever known. Yet, she didn't hold any ill will towards Diz.

He was the reason she had a purpose, even if it was a messy one. He said she had been born of the woods, and that was why she had the magic that she had. He was glad to have found her, and it was because of him that she had managed to survive the woods.

That didn't mean that he was right, though.

Everything felt grey in the woods. As Namine leaned her back against the door, she imagined the Hunter and the third Master. She didn't want to think about them, yet she knew that they were going to clash at some point or another.

Perhaps it felt like they were at a standstill because it was the calm before the storm.

A shudder ran down her spine at the thought. After all these years, she wasn't sure that she was ready to face whatever came next. She was selfish enough to wish that this time period would never continue on and that the calm before the storm would last forever.

In the little cottage she lived in in the woods, she wanted peace.

/

The atmosphere in town had gone from angry to fearful. Once the news of Aqua's attack spread along with the kidnapping of Kairi by the wolf, the townsfolk knew that they could do little against the forces of the woods if even those specially trained couldn't go against them.

Aqua hated to see the village like that. When she was younger it had been more lively, but as time went on and the wolf appeared, it grew duller. The dear memories she held of the place were slowly being replaced with ones that were much darker.

She wished that she could do something.

Instead, she watched Ven and Terra train, thinking about the darkness that was now inside her. She still couldn't remember what happened to her. It was a blank spot in her head and the more she tried to remember it, the more a pain would form in her head. She was starting to think that magic was used on her.

It was said that Aqua had an aptitude for magic. That made it easier for her to work with her blade, and made it easier to sense other things that possessed magic. Master Eraqus taught her in that art from when she was very young, including ways of healing. But even magic could only go so far to cure deep wounds.

It suddenly felt like it didn't matter whether she trained or not. There was darkness in her now, and she would not let that affect anyone. She wouldn't let it bring her down, yet knowing that she was corrupted was a harsh blow.

She remembered what had been said about Kairi and wondered if the girl had felt the same thing.

A yelp of surprise tore Aqua from her thoughts as she saw Ven's discarded blade on the other side of the room while Terra was pointing his triumphantly at his chest. The younger boy was frowning up at Terra, who only laughed in response.

"Keep practicing Ven," Terra said lightly, and Ven responded with a pout as Terra mused up his spikey hair.

"He's doing better," Aqua offered from the side, "His movements are becoming more fluid instead of erratic."

Ven offered her a slight smile in thanks, while Terra nodded, "I agree. Plus you're technique is unique so it'll be harder for the enemy to read. You'll end up becoming great."

This seemed to placate Ven as his pout disappeared. He was now grinning, looking almost proud of himself. Aqua smiled and got up. She knew that eventually, with the Mark of Mastery exam coming, they were going to be separated if Terra passed. It was moments like these that she wanted to remember. There was no use dwelling on the darker things when there were still times like this.

At the same time, though, she wanted to fight that darkness that threatened these moments. If it meant that she could protect her friends then she would do anything.

Out beyond the window, she suddenly noticed movement, and her eyes narrowed.

Automatically, Terra picked up the change in her attitude and asked seriously, "What's wrong?"

"In the gardens… I thought I saw something," she started, and Terra's back stiffened. Ven froze as well and the two boys shared a glance.

"Ven, watch over Aqua and I'll go search the garden," he started, and Aqua quickly protested.

"You can't go alone! What if something happens to you like it did me?" her blue eyes trained on him, and he frowned back.

"Ven's getting better but he can't come with me, plus you're still healing from what happened. I'm not going to let you open your wounds," Terra's voice had a tone of finality to it, and Aqua frowned in response. She wanted to help. Being rendered useless made her want to scream in aggravation. Instead, she swallowed it down and looked at Terra in the eyes.

"I'll go alert Master Eraqus then, if anything goes wrong, leave immediately," she stated, and Terra nodded.

Ven looked like he wanted to protest as well at being left behind, but he didn't say a word as Terra headed out to the garden and instead followed Aqua as she headed to Master Eraqus's study.

When they arrived there, Aqua knocked twice on the oak door and there was a pause that felt like it lasted for hours, until finally they heard him say, "Come in."

Aqua pushed open the door and entered the study. At his large desk, Master Eraqus was studying something, with books laying open, scattered before him. He told his pupils many times before that there was always something to learn, no matter how old they got, and that studying was the key to knowledge. And in the end, knowledge was power.

"Aqua spotted something in the gardens," Ven got out in a rush, "Terra went to investigate but…"

Master Eraqus's head snapped up at the proclamation. His eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of them and said slowly, "You saw something in the gardens? Do you think that it may be what attacked you, Aqua?"

Aqua chewed her bottom lip as she shook her head, "I don't know. I only saw a glimpse of it. But I don't want Terra out there alone, and he insisted that I was too hurt to go out there."

"He was right," Master Eraqus said as he stood up, "You're hurt both in body and in heart. I'll go deal with the threat, if there is one. Stay inside you two."

"Yes Master," Aqua and Ven both stated at once.

As Master Eraqus brushed past them, Aqua felt an odd sting in her heart. If she was considered hurt in her heart, did that mean that it could heal? She knew that there was a way to rid the darkness, she just didn't know what it was. She kept herself in the light for so many years, that now she didn't know what to do.

"Aqua?" Ven asked, and she realized that she had lost herself in her thoughts. She quickly brushed them away and offered her best smile for Ven.

"Sorry Ven, let's go," she told him. He nodded, his spikey bangs falling against his eyes, although he didn't appear to mind. Instead he followed Aqua out of the study and into the halls.

/

Vanitas smirked a bit as sat on the ledge of his Master's desolate castle. He almost felt like laughing at how easily spooked the pupils of Master Eraqus were. He never felt more amused then he did watching everyone through Aqua's eyes.

He knew that the heartless wouldn't stray near to the town, but his unverse were different. They listened to him, and with a single command they could swarm the town and no one could do anything about it. At the moment, he had them searching the woods to find the girl-Kairi- so that he could kill her.

Then the reign of terror would begin.

He almost felt...glee at the idea of all the causalities. He imagined that he could finally face his other half, and become the most powerful person of all. Even more power than his Master. The problem was, he didn't know who his other half was.

He had a clue, but it was hard to see if he was right, and he didn't want to accidently kill him. Whoever they might be.

From behind him, he heard footsteps and a voice, "What are you doing here, boy?"

"They found one of my floods," he said, and he nearly laughed. His toy was named Aqua and his most common unverse that he created was called a flood. The names fit in an odd way.

"Don't make them suspect there's anything more than the heartless," there was anger in his voice, but Vanitas didn't care. He was finding everything amusing.

"I've been searching for the girl with them," he started, deciding to change the subject, "I think they're pretty deep in the woods. Want me to flush them out for you?"

"Feel free to do as you wish, as long as they're disposed of. They're too much of a hindrance to my plan," more footsteps indicated that he was walking away, "Go back to your job before consequences befall you."

"Yeah yeah," Vanitas muttered under his breath, low enough for his Master not to hear. Instead, he looked down at the ground that was a couple stories below him and wondered when things would get moving. He knew that finding her was the start, but the question was, would it really be that easy?

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry for the long wait on the update, college has started for me and I'm currently swamped with work, but I shall do my best to update faster! Thank you for reading!**


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